Desperate Situation
by Maelstrom1
Summary: Armada Setting: Chapter 8! Morale at the Autobot base is crumbling, and Unicron taking hostages for Powerlinx experiments aren't helping anyone. Galvatron may have found a war machine to turn the tide, but will he get to is first?
1. The Tide Begins to Turn

Disclaimer: I do not own transformers or any related material, so give me a break already!  
  
This takes place between Credulous and Conspiracy, while the Autobots are outnumbered and losing often, and this will also show how the Decepticons get the mini-cons they have in Conspiracy. I also have the Mini-cons taking an active role in the story and I'm translating their speech, because since they're supposed to be equals with the Autobots at least, they may as well get they're say.  
  
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Red Alert peered into the medical bay. He sighed as he saw Hot Shot still staring blankly at the wall. Jolt sat besides him, the Mini-con's mood reflecting that of its partner. Red Alert stalked off back into the main control room. All the kids had gone home in a depressed mood, taking their Mini-cons with them. Optimus had reduced the shifts to one person in the control room instead of the normal two. Smokescreen was playing cards with Liftor as Long Arm jumped up and beeped happily to Liftor in the Mini-con native tongue.  
  
"Huh?" Smokescreen said as he looked up from his cards, "my shift over already?"  
  
"Yeah, go see if you can try to get Hot Shot out of this funk." The medical Autobot sighed as he took Smokescreen's place at the console.  
  
"Its been three days already Red Alert, if he doesn't snap out of it soon, I don't know what we're going to do." Smokescreen sat up as Liftor hopped onto his shoulder. "The Decepticons are going to move soon, and its going to be a two to one advantage for them."  
  
"Not to mention Starscream has the Star Saber." Liftor added thoughtfully from Smokescreen's shoulder.  
  
"You said it little buddy, you think Hot Shot will be able to summon the Saber back next time we encounter it?" Smokescreen asked.  
  
"I doubt it, Megatron is no fool, and he's probably brainwashed or altered their personality chips somehow, however he goes about it, I doubt they'll respond to us." said Red Alert.  
  
"Well I'll go to the med bay and see if I can't snap him out of it, try to stay awake now Red Alert." Smokescreen chuckled as he walked off.  
  
"Hey some bots take their jobs seriously around here!" Red Alert shouted as Long Arm busted out into a laughing fit.  
  
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Swindle side stepped to avoid debris as his master went slashing away with his newest acquisition, the Star Saber. Swindle was feeling a bit jealous that the new Mini-cons were getting his master's attention, but at least he wasn't using him to bash on the rocks.  
  
"Are you scared of flying rocks Swindle?" Starscream asked sarcastically, "don't worry, me and my Star Saber will protect you, ahahahahah!"  
  
"Very funny master, what'll happen when Scavenger comes over here though?" The Mini-con retorted with a smirk, "Then who'll protect me?"  
  
"Insolent whelp!" Starscream shouted as he shot a laser salvo from his chest, which Swindle barely avoided, "How dare you use such a tongue with me!"  
  
"I don't know Starscream, I'd listen to him if I were you." A deep voice bellowed from behind him as Scavenger appeared on the rocks above, "I hope you're not going to make the same mistake Hot Shot made, putting all your confidence in the sword."  
  
"Of course I'm not, I'm no fool like that rank amateur!" Starscream shouted at the mercenary, "I can hold my own with or without this sword!"  
  
"Heh, that remains to be seen, I can only wish you luck." Scavenger laughed, as he walked away."  
  
"Grrrrr..., that guy steams me up!" Starscream shouted as he took his anger out on a helpless rock, shattering it with the power of the Star Saber.  
  
"You're both blow hards if you ask me." Said yet another voice.  
  
"What!" Starscream let out a yell as he swung the saber behind him, rocks scattered everywhere as a purple and yellow motorcycle drove out of the dust.  
  
"Sideways transform!" The motorcycle cried as parts shifted and the rider split in two, his lower silver half being pulled down forming his head. A Decepticon symbol became etched into his chest as the top half of the rider shifted into a Mini-con and landed besides him. "You and the Bulldozer are all talk, you'll both falter in the end."  
  
"What did you say, why I ought to.," Starscream rubbed his temple as the stress of all this disrespect was getting to him.  
  
"Come on Rook, lets leave him to his thoughts." Sideways began to walk off, only to be stopped by Starscream.  
  
"I will not let you disrespect me traitor, I hold the Star Saber, making me the most powerful transformer in the universe, you will respect me!"  
  
"I respect no one, but I do respect power, and from what I've seen, you don't know how to use yours," Sideways retorted, "You're a waste of my time, , TRANSFORM!"  
  
With that Sideways shifted back to motorcycle mode and drove off. Starscream just yelled and started shattering rocks left and right as Swindle made himself scarce.  
  
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Smokescreen was headed to the medical bay when he heard a loud pounding noise. The noise seemed to be resonating from someone's quarters.  
  
"What was that sound?" Liftor inquired from Smokescreen's shoulder.  
  
"I don't know, let's get closer." The Autobot replied as he made his way to the base's living quarters. He got to Optimus Prime's quarters and stopped. Liftor was about to ask why they stopped when Smokescreen held a finger to his mouth, silently telling the Mini-con to be quiet. Prime was yelling as two smaller voices seemed to be reasoning with him.  
  
"You must calm down, you won't be able to think clearly." The bright yellow Mini-con said softly.  
  
"I know but I shouldn't have let Hot Shot go alone with that rouge after Megatron!" Optimus Prime shouted, once again smashing his fist against the wall."  
  
"You could have never know that Sideways would turn like that." This time the navy blue Mini-con spoke.  
  
"Spiral is right, Sideways' treachery was completely unexpected." The Yellow Mini-con kept reasoning.  
  
Optimus sighed and leaned against the wall, "You're right Sparkplug, but I shouldn't have let Hot Shot go off on his own either, he's to inexperienced!"  
  
"That may be, but you know he can hold his own, I suppose now all we can do is strategize how to deal with the six to four disadvantage we're at." Spiral said as he sat, shifting his hanging car parts around to accommodate himself.  
  
"Perhaps you're right, Sparkplug, go find whoever's not on monitor duty, I'll need more consorts to plan our strategy."  
  
"Right away Optimus. Sparkplug said as he headed for the door. Smokescreen panicked and tried to act casual as Sparkplug came out of the door. "That was quicker than I expected, Smokescreen, Optimus needs you and Liftor to come with me. The Mini-con spoke hesitantly, pondering how he found them so fast as Smokescreen followed, with Liftor hanging off of his crane-arm.  
  
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Cyclonus peered around the table carefully as he looked at his cards. ~Slag!~ He though as he looked at his hand. A four, two threes, a king, and a nine. ~I have nothing!~ He put on his best poker face as he looked at his competition. He first looked at the only other bot his size at the table, Demolisher, who was clearly upset. ~What a bad poker face, hahaha, least I don't have to worry about him.~ He looked onto his smaller opponents, Crumplezone, his first Mini-con, had an icy cold glare that didn't tell him anything about his hand. His second Mini-con, Drill-bit, was holding all his cards in his stubby little hand, and was scrutinizing his choice to take a hit or not. Black-out, who was obviously just Demolisher's actual brain in a Mini-con body, because it was much smarter than him, really didn't have a face to tell what he was thinking. ~He reminds me of the ancient Soundwave. Tall and smart, no personality, hahahaha.~ Cyclonus cracked himself up, getting odd stares from around the table.  
  
You gonna do anything at all!! Bonecrusher, who was at this time Megatron's least favorite Mini-con, seeing as he was in here playing cards, was also very impatient.  
  
"Alright alright, calm down, I fold!" Cyclonus announced as all the other bots sweatdropped.  
  
"HA! Two pairs, hahahaha!" Demolisher announced.  
  
"I'm out." Drill-bit announced as he dropped his cards, revealing a worse hand than Cyclonus's.  
  
"Me too." Bonecrusher spat as he tossed his cards aside.  
  
"Two Jacks and three Nines, beat that." Crumplezone smirked slightly as he saw Demolisher's face get very red.  
  
"Full house." Black-out announced in his monotone voice as Crumplezone stood up in his already very tall seat (the Mini-cons have taller seats to reach the table).  
  
"Cheater!" Crumplezone cried as Black-out scooped up all the galactic creds. "There's no way you coulda got that hand without cheating!"  
  
"My hand was just as probable as any hand in the deck" Black-out said as matter of factly as a monotone bot can. Just as he finished grabbing them up the alarms started blaring. Megatron announced that all Decepticons were to gear up for battle and meet him in the warp room for a debreifing.  
  
"Well back to work for us, maybe we can get more Mini-cons to play cards with!" Cyclonus chuckled excitedly.  
  
"I don't like playing with Mini-cons, even my own one beats me." Demolisher sulked as he grabbed the happy Black-out and headed to the warp room.  
  
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The alarms of the Autobot base blare as it warns of a new Mini-con being detected. Smokescreen, Optimus, and their Mini-cons run into the control room as Red Alert accesses the situation.  
  
"Optimus, we got a new Mini-con reading." Red Alert said quickly.  
  
"Any word on Hot Shot?" Optimus replied.  
  
"He's still staring at the wall, I'm getting no response!" Smokescreen answered sadly.  
  
"Then we'll have to go without him, gear it up Autobots, this one won't be pretty!" Optimus said in a speech-like manner. "We'll need everything we've got, so bring all you're Mini-cons!"  
  
"We're with you Optimus!" Sparkplug added as his Mini-con comrades agreed with him.  
  
"Alright then, Autobots, Mini-cons, lets roll out!" With that they all headed to the Launch room, preparing to fight for not only their lives, but that of a Mini-con's as well.  
  
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Megatron surveyed his troops as he prepared to launch. Sure everything seemed in his favor, but the only bets he liked were ones that were backed up. Cyclonus and Demolisher had show up first with their Mini-cons. Scavenger came in next, basically leaning against the wall, not caring for what Megatron had to say as usual. Sideways just kind of appeared in the room out of nowhere, on a personal level, that bot gave Megatron an uneasy vibe, but then again, with the ease he turned on Hot Shot, you have to be uneasy with him. Starscream was the last to come in, and was very irritable as was Swindle. Even though Decepticons usually didn't give their Mini-cons free will, they still usually were a good measure of how a bot was feeling, especially your partner that is scanned directly from your image. Megatron pondered this fact for a second, Leader-1 was usually firm and forceful, although Megatron has allowed Leader-1 a bit more free will and reason power than most suspect. Swindle is always arrogant and cocky for a Mini-con with such little free will. Crumplezone was sadistic yet had a humorous side like Cyclonus. On an interesting note, Bonecrusher seemed to be a better gauge of Demolisher's mood than Black-out. Perhaps that's because Megatron issued Black-out while Demolisher himself activated Bonecrusher. A small tap on his head from Leader-1 made him realize that his troops were staring rather funny at him and he quickly regained his composure.  
  
"Alright men, are we all set to move out!" Megatron bellowed. There were murmurs of agreement from most. Sideways and Scavenger both just stared at him while Starscream brandished the Star Saber. Seeing Starscream with the saber almost put Megatron back into deep thought but was snapped out of it by Cyclonus's harsh voice.  
  
"Lets go smash some Autobots already, I'm getting tired of waiting!" Cyclonus complained loudly.  
  
"Alright my dear Cyclonus, you shall have your smashed Autobots." Megatron declared with a smirk, "if there are no other complaints, let us go get that Mini-con!" And so Megatron warped to the Earth followed closely by the other Decepticons.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
A/N I know I'm mean cutting it off when there's about to be some action, but I want this to drag out. I'm sure I'll do another part soon enough, this story mainly has all the elements armada either has or needs in it, so I decided to explain stuff, and didn't do much with Hot Shot, but he'll come into play next time. This is my first transformers fic and I want to know what people think, ok, so R&R ( 


	2. Secrets and Gurriella Tactics

Disclaimer: I don't own transformers, because if I did the world would be mine, muwhahahahahaaha  
  
Ok I thought I should post this in case anyone doesn't know what these things mean Mini-con speech ~Thought~ *****Scene change******  
  
Wow I got some positive reviews, so I best keep on writing (, thanks to all that reviewed and I hope you all enjoy  
  
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The Autobots warped into the vicinity of the Min-con and got to work. Unfortunately this was right into a marsh. Movements were hampered greatly by this sort of environment.  
  
"Too bad the kids went home, we could use them for Lazerbeak, its gonna be hard to find the Mini-con with no fliers," Red Alert commented, "Jolt is too depressed because of Hot Shot deciding to shut out the world."  
  
"We have to work with it, Spiral, see if you can't locate the Mini-con while we try to intercept the Decepticons, Sparkplug, you stay behind with the trailer, its much to big to lug around, we're going to have to traverse on foot." Optimus swiftly ordered as the two car Mini-cons sped off to their assigned tasks.  
  
"If we can pick em off one or two at a time I bet we could increase our chances," Smokescreen suggested, "Sort of like a war of attrition or guerrilla tactics."  
  
"It sounds like a plan, alright, split up and report in every five cycles, got that?" Prime asked  
  
"Yes sir!" replied all of his troops in unison as they began to wade through the marsh.  
  
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"YYYAARRGGHHH"  
  
The yell resonated into Megatron's audio receptors as he finished warping in. He looked about as he did a quick head count. Scavenger had just warped in at his right and Sideways warped in behind him, Starscream and his small posse of Mini-cons warped in to the left. Demolisher and Cyclonus were nowhere in his range of vision. He quickly tapped his wrist communicator.  
  
"Demolisher, Cyclonus, come in immediately!" Megatron ordered.  
  
"Uh Megatron, I think we need some assistance." That was Demolisher, and he sounded uneasy.  
  
"OF COURSE WE NEED ASSISTANCE!" That was Cyclonus.  
  
"Calm down, you'll sink faster if you keep struggling!" Drill-bit.  
  
"You're not the one stuck in this, this, MUCK!" Cyclonus again.  
  
"Someone help me make a rope or something!" Crumplezone this time.  
  
"Something that primitive has a forty-two point one-five chance of success." Black-out's monotone voice.  
  
"Would you shut up about statistics and help me!" Crumplezone once again.  
  
"Uhhhh, Megatron?" Demolisher again, he sounded helpless.  
  
"All right! Everyone shut-up!" Megatron barked into his wrist, the seeming source off the commotion. Scavenger laughed as Sideways and Starscream jumped when Megatron yelled. "What seems to be the problem?"  
  
"Cyclonus warped in right on top of a sand pit, he took one step and started to sink, then he panicked." Drill-bit explained.  
  
"Can't he fly out?" Megatron asked calmly.  
  
"MY PROPELLER IS STUCK!" Cyclonus yelled over his own com-link this time.  
  
Megatron sighed loudly as he thought over the situation, it all seemed so idiotic, and then he tried to think what he had done to get suck incompetent troops. "Alright, Starscream, go and tow him out."  
  
"What! Why should I, my skills are more useful elsewhere, I hold the Star Saber, I deserve bette..." Starscream began to complain.  
  
"Go help them NOW Starscream, I am not in the mood for your insubordination, now GO!" Megatron yelled as he cut Starscream out, getting a defiant stare from the bot before he took off with his Mini-cons in tow.  
  
Scavenger began to laugh loudly, "You should learn to control your stooges better Megatron, now I'm going to go find that Mini-con, it is far overdue that I received one of my own."  
  
The tyrant glared at Scavenger before speaking, "I don't need your opinion, now go find the Mini-con before the Autobots do, if you do you may keep it for yourself, but take Sideways with you."  
  
"I work alone." The mercenary replied.  
  
"The same goes for me." Sideways added.  
  
"I'll have the both of you know that I don't really care, as long as you are part of my command, you shall do as I say, now go find that Mini-con and stick together!" Megatron stated coldly.  
  
"Very well, come along then, I'm not waiting all day." Scavenger said as he stalked off, not waiting for Sideways to follow. The motorbike made a growling noise then followed the bulldozer. Megatron sat on a fallen tree and rubbed his temples as he let his Mini-cons inspect the area. ~What did I do to deserve these bots?~ The Decepticon leader thought.  
  
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"I will make Megatron pay for assigning me to such, such, menial tasks!" Starscream cried as he flew through the air, "This is such a pathetic assignment for the most powerful Transformer in the universe!"  
  
Starscream approached the coordinates and took a second to survey the scene. Black-out was transmitting the coordinates while Demolisher pulled on a makeshift vine-rope. Drill-bit and Crumplezone were cheering him on..sort of.  
  
"Put your back into it, he's kinda movin!" Crumplezone yelled.  
  
"Your stance is all wrong, you should have your left foot firmly planted behind your right" Drill-bit advised.  
  
"Would you guys shut up!" Demolisher groaned as he pulled. Cyclonus was barely moving and was making sure everybody knew it.  
  
"YOU CALL THAT PULLING COME ON I WANT OUT OF HERE I THINK I JUST SUNK MORE THAN I'M BEING PULLED OUT!" The Decepticon helicopter screamed.  
  
Starscream winced as the vocal bot's voice nearly shattered his audio receptors. The jet landed and let Swindle off of him before shoving Demolisher aside.  
  
"Stand back amateur." Starscream announced as he took hold of the vine- rope. Flying upwards he began to yank Cyclonus out of the muck. He got Cyclonus about waist level before not getting anywhere else. After and audible groan from Cyclonus, the bots on the ground took this chance to taunt poor Starscream.  
  
"Hey Screamer, can't pull him out, I thought you were better than us." Demolisher chuckled as he saw Starscream glare at him before flying up more.  
  
"Put your back into it!" Crumplezone yelled again as Drill-bit stared as his companion's lack of originality.  
  
"All of you shut up!" Starscream yelled, "Jetstorm, Runway, Sonar, transform and help me!"  
  
"Yes master." Jetstorm replied as he and the rest of the Air-defense team shifted to robot mode and pulled up on the ropes.  
  
"Just a little farther Starscream, my propeller is almost out!" Cyclonus yelled.  
  
"So how many idiots does it take to get one out of a swamp?" Swindle inquired.  
  
"It appears to be five!" Crumplezone exclaimed as he dropped to the ground laughing as Cyclonus got his helicopter blade free and started it up. Then all hell broke loose. The blade got caught on the rope, throwing Starscream and the Air-defense team into a nearby tree. Cyclonus got a few feet in the air before the combination of the rope jamming his propeller and the momentum of the other bots flying sent him crashing into Demolisher. The remaining Mini-cons asides from Black-out, who seems to be devoid of personality, rolled on the ground laughing at their "masters".  
  
"You idiot Cyclonus what were you thinking !" Starscream yelled as he rubbed his head.  
  
"Oowww, I wanted out of that goo as soon as possible, that what!" Cyclonus retorted as he got up and started to scrap dried mud off of his frame.  
  
"We should start looking for the Mini-con before Megatron gets to angry!" Demolisher exclaimed as he pulled himself up, "We can't have our leader getting angry."  
  
"You bootlicker, theres twice as many as us almost as there is Autobots, we'll have no problem casually looking for the Mini-con." Starscream said as he transformed and let Swindle dock under his nosecone. He than flew off, with the Air-defense team close behind. Cyclonus transformed and linked with his Mini-cons and did the same.  
  
"You think I'm a bootlicker?" Demolisher asked his Mini-con.  
  
"Not enough data to compute the probable answer." Black-out responded blandly.  
  
"How'd I get stuck with you?" Demolisher sighed as he grabbed the small bot and sat him on his shoulder.  
  
"Not enough data to compute probable answer." Black-out repeated. Demolisher sighed again and walked off into the marsh.  
  
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The alarms remained sounding after the Autobots had launched, well most the Autobots. In the Medical bay one lone Autobot remained, his loyal Mini-con partner remaining with him. The small red Mini-con known as Jolt stood up and tapped on Hot Shot's leg.  
  
"Hot Shot, the alarms are sounding." The Mini-con told his partner, who just stared on blankly, "Our friends are going to need us, they've already left."  
  
Hot Shot didn't move a joint.  
  
"Hot Shot! One of my friends is out there right now, and we're doing nothing!" The Mini-con pleaded with the comatose Autobot, "Why won't you answer me! I thought I was your friend!"  
  
Jolt now hovered right in front of Hot Shot's face. His optics were glazed over, as far as Jolt could tell he hadn't heard a word he had said. The next thing that happened even surprised Jolt. The Mini-con's small arm just shot out and slapped Hot Shot as hard as it could. Hot Shot's eyes all of a sudden gained some sort of life, yet he still did nothing. The now trembling Jolt started screaming as loud as he could.  
  
"Well if you aren't going to help out I am!" Jolt yelled as he transformed, "I will not allow another of my comrades, of my, my, FRIENDS to be defiled by the Decepticons!" The tiny helicopter then flew off towards the warp room. It wasn't until after Jolt left did Hot Shot slowly bring up his hand to the small dent the Mini-con had left in his cheek. After feeling it, Hot Shot let out one of the most remorseful yells he could muster before collapsing again.  
  
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Smokescreen was making his way slowly through the marsh when he caught sight of Demolisher. It wasn't to hard, the con' was complaining to himself so loudly that as he walked there was a steady stream of birds flying from their roosts in the trees above. Smokescreen kneeled as he brought Liftor close to his mouth.  
  
"Let's take him down in one shot, powerlink now little buddy." Smokescreen whispered to his partner. Liftor jumped up into the air, transforming then landing onto Smokescreen's crane. The front of the crane glowed before having yet another piece swing into place from inside it. This piece just happened to be a huge gun. Smokescreen slowly steadied the huge contraption that was mounted on his shoulder as he let Liftor take care of aiming.  
  
"You ready, because there's no way I can miss him right now." The Mini- con informed his large friend.  
  
"Ready as I'll ever be, let her rip!" Smokescreen said as he dug his feet into the ground and gritted his teeth. The front section of the gun glowed bright red before shooting a massive bolt of energy towards the unwitting Decepticon.  
  
"This is the most awful place to find a Mini-con, couldn't Megatron just pick a nice sunny field or something to find a Mini-con in, this place is.." Demolisher loudly proclaimed for all the wildlife to hear right before Black-out cut him off.  
  
"Massive energy reading approaching on vector three, estimated ETA is 5 seconds." The Mini-con reported.  
  
"Say what? AARRGHHH!" Demolisher grunted loudly as the energy beam collided with him, shaking his frame and sending him through many trees before he stopped. He attempted to get up, finding every joint in his body thoroughly trashed. He caught a glimpse of Black-out's unconscious form sticking halfway through a tree before fading into unconsciousness.  
  
"We got him!" Smokescreen whooped as Liftor disengaged from his crane, the gun shifting back into the rest of the crane. Suddenly a thud behind him caught his attention. He looked back and caught a glimpse of Liftor lying a few feet away unconscious as a massive purple fist collided with his head. Smokescreen stumbled back a few feet before falling over, offline.  
  
"That seemed to easy." Sideways snorted.  
  
"He got distracted, dumb thing to do during battle." Scavenger retorted as he shook his fist, "He's got a hard head though, doubt he'll be out for long, lets get moving."  
  
"Alright, I did enjoy watching Demolisher get fragged though," chuckled Sideways, then he looked around, and realized Scavenger had already left. "That guys a slotting piece of work."  
  
Sideways stalked off, quickly in pursuit of the mercenary.  
  
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"Cyclonus, come in." Megatron spoke into his communicator as he sloshed through the marsh.  
  
"Yes Megatron, I'm here, and I've been freed of the muck, ugh, awful stuff." Cyclonus responded.  
  
"Alright then, enough of your useless banter, converge on my coordinates at once, its time we pick off the Autobots so Scavenger may retrieve the Mini- con." Megatron ordered.  
  
"Right Megatron, be right there." Within two minutes the helicopter was flying above Megatron.  
  
"Get a fix on the other Autobots!" Megatron yelled up.  
  
"Oohhhh, Optimus Prime is exactly five clicks to your left Megatron." Cyclonus chuckled.  
  
"Excellent, prepare to engage on my signal, now move!" Megatron barked as the helicopter flew out of his view. Megatron shifted to tank mode as he linked up with Bonecrusher and Leader-1, increasing the power of his cannon tenfold, he wanted this to take one shot.  
  
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Optimus Prime trudged along, wary of Decepticon attack. All of a sudden a salvo of shots came from above as Cyclonus cackled and fired on him.  
  
"Eat lead Autobot!" Cyclonus cried as he shot at Prime as he attempted to ram the Autobot leader, using Drill-bit's very sharp drill to attack him.  
  
Prime dodged the first swoop and salvo as he hit his com-link, "Sparkplug, get the trailer over here now!"  
  
"Yes sir Optimus!" Sparkplug replied as engine noises were heard over the communicator.  
  
Cyclonus came in for another run as Prime clasped his hands together and sent a high powered blast from his wrist-mounted blasters. Cyclonus shrieked and banked right hard. Right into a tree. He transformed in mid- air as Drill-bit and Crumplezone disengaged from him. He tumbled to the ground holding his right shoulder.  
  
"Had enough Cyclonus?" Prime asked him, keeping his blasters trained on the Decepticon.  
  
"Argh, curse you Prime, you'll regret this." Cyclonus complained as he began to stand up. He trained his left arm onto Prime as he had Crumplezone link up with it. "I got enough power in this one arm to slag you!"  
  
Prime kept his hand clasped as he stared down Cyclonus. The helicopter shuffled to the left, trying to create distance between himself and the Autobot leader. Prime suddenly heard the sound of laserfire before he was blown forwards, a sharp pain in his back.  
  
"Nice shot Megatron." Cyclonus remarked.  
  
"As always, wait a minute, what's that noise?" The Decepticon leader exclaimed right before Cyclonus was knocked offline from a torrent of lasers. Megatron transformed just in time to see Prime's trailer move in, piloted by Sparkplug. "Curses, you annoying little Mini-con!"  
  
"Optimus Prime, super mode!" Prime exclaimed weakly as his body shifted into an upper torso and the trailer converted into legs. Sparkplug linked to Prime's shoulder as the torso and waist combined. The now Super Optimus Prime pulled out his rather large cannon and trained it on Megatron.  
  
"Optimus, its good to see that you still function." Megatron said nervously. The tyrant glanced around considering his options. He still had his two Mini-cons linked up, and he saw that Drill-bit hadn't been rendered unconscious with his master. "Drill-bit, powerlink with me now!"  
  
Optimus fired in Megatron's direction as he dived to the side and allowed Drill-bit to link up to his left arm, producing a small energon blade from the hand. Megatron summoned unseen agility as he started swiping at Prime with the blade and the Mini-con. Prime dodged most but got nicked about waist level, his gargantuan form wasn't exactly graceful, but powerful. Prime winded his arm back and then leapt forward, clothes-lining Megatron as he did. Megatron groaned and went down hard as the weight of Prime brought him down. Prime got up and raised his cannon level to Megatron's head when a voice shrieked over Prime's com-link.  
  
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"Hey, wait up!" Sideways yelled ahead of him.  
  
"Slowpoke, you take to much time." Scavenger scoffed, "do you have any idea where to look for this Mini-con, because I have nothing even on my scanners."  
  
"Hmmm, I doubt the Autobots got it already, perhaps it already activated?" Sideways questioned.  
  
"Doubtful, unless the Autobots are running a Mini-con about, it could avoid our sensors and activate its friend." Scavenger answered.  
  
"Tell me something Scavenger, two solar cycles ago, I heard you conversing with someone on a private wavelength, what was that all about?" The motorcycle chortled as Scavenger quickly about-faced.  
  
"I have no clue what you speak of." Scavenger replied dead-pan.  
  
"But I have a small friend who does know what I speak of. Come Rook!" Sideways ordered as a small black Mini-con with red trim jumped down from the trees and sat on Sideways' shoulder, "Give our friend a copy of his conversation."  
  
Rook produced a small disk and tossed it to the behemoth bot. Scavenger quickly scanned it then tossed it aside.  
  
"It seems you know to much, Decepticon, or can I call you that?" Scavenger scratched his chin, "seems like I'm not the only one with secrets."  
  
"What are you talking about, Autobot?" Sideways asked as he leered at the larger bot.  
  
Scavenger laughed loudly as he continued, "I wouldn't be a good Autobot spy if I didn't have all the info, and you've been spending an awful lot of time talking up Starscream and downloading schematics from Megatron's private files."  
  
"I should turn you into Megatron right now!" Sideways fumed.  
  
"Who do you think he would believe, his trusty mercenary, or a bot that so quickly turned on his companions." Scavenger cocked his head, "you may have proof, but would it be worth risking your own neck, eh?"  
  
"A stalemate then I suppose.." Sideways trailed off.  
  
"We can pretend this never happened, and we'll both be the better for it." Scavenger proposed.  
  
"Alright, just watch your back, Autobot." Sideways retorted.  
  
"Same to you, whatever you are," Scavenger suddenly jerked his head to one side, "We're being watched."  
  
"Rook, get em!" Sideways shouted in the direction of Scavenger's sight. The black Mini-con dived head first into the bushes, where many beeps and electrical noises were heard. After a minute Rook came out on top of a blue car type Mini-con, its right arm bent behind its back. It quickly activated its com-link.  
  
"OPTIMUS!!! HELP!!!" The small Mini-con screamed. Right before being stun blasted by Sideways.  
  
"Stupid, very stupid." Sideways remarked as he brought down his arm, Scavenger scooped up the Mini-con and shoved it into Sideways arms, "Huh, what are you doing?"  
  
"Take it back to base, wipe its memory, it heard both of us speaking." Scavenger ordered, staring Sideways down.  
  
"But, I thought you were an Autobot!" Sideways questioned.  
  
"Not right now, when the time comes, maybe, but now I'm a Decepticon, and you are too, so start acting like one!" Scavenger yelled, "now head back to base, Optimus won't be far behind, I'll hold him off!"  
  
Sideways stared at the merc before warping, Mini-con in hand and Rook on his shoulder. Just then the semi-truck Autobot know as Optimus Prime barreled into Scavenger, but the large bulldozer held fast, stopping the truck almost dead. Prime transformed and kicked Scavenger in the midsection, just as he was about to retaliate, Optimus's large cannon's nozzle came to rest on Scavengers forehead.  
  
"Where..is..Spiral!" Prime panted, his left arm cradling the cannon while his right index finger stroked the trigger.  
  
"To late, Sideways took him back to base, he..heard to much." Scavenger said slowly.  
  
Prime's gaze met Scavenger's as he pulled the 'dozer up to his face, "Your cover?"  
  
"Safe I assure you, but the Mini-con was a security risk, I'm sorry." Scavenger whispered into Optimus's audio receptors. With that he nodded and went offline as Optimus transformed and hurried to find the Mini-con.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Red Alert peered out from his cover. He had already power-linked with Long-arm and had his powerful cannon ready, he steadied his aim. He had gotten sight of Starscream, and wanted to take him out in one shot, but it was proving difficult to draw a bead on the jet. He risked it and fired on the Decepticon. And blatantly missed. However, he did nail Runway, sending the Mini-con crashing to the ground. Starscream yelled out and transformed, using his wing sword as he fell to the ground and cleaved the tree Red Alert was behind in two.  
  
"Sonar, Jetstorm, help Runway, Swindle, power-link!" Starscream ordered as his Mini-cons scattered, Swindle combining and his powerful neuro-cannons swinging into place. "Eat laser Autobot!"  
  
Red Alert, knowing he was out-gunned, transformed, therefore ducking the beams, and tackled Starscream as well as a medical SUV can. Starscream tumbled down before Sonar came over his intercom informing him of their situation.  
  
"Excellent, form the Star Sabre!" The Decepticon chortled triumphantly as Red Alert realized the situation was about to get bad. Sonar flew right into Starscream's hand and his front end split open as Runway and Jetstorm connected. Jetstorm connected to Sonar then was enveloped by a blue light at the sabre finished forming. Red Alert quickly kicked Starscream's left hand, which was holding his wing sword. Starscream yelled out as he swung at Red Alert viciously with the Star Sabre, Red Alert was only able to deflect 3 shots from it with the wing sword before it snapped in two. Red Alert then transformed and sped off into the forest, Starscream hot on his heels. Until he was ran over by a large monster semi.  
  
"AAHHHHH!" Starscream nearly gurgled as he was quite smashed by Prime.  
  
"Thanks for the save Optimus." Red Alert said as he relaxed.  
  
"No problem, any word on the Mini-con?" Prime queried.  
  
"Negative sir, I don't know why either." Red Alert replied.  
  
"Alright then, lets keep searching." Prime said as he rolled off, followed by Red Alert.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Megatron groaned as he got up. Prime had sped off, and Cyclonus, along with Crumplezone, was quite unconscious. Then Megatron saw it. He strained his neck as he looked up into a very large tree, with a glow coming from the top.  
  
"The Mini-con!" Megatron shouted triumphantly, "Drill-bit, Leader-1, Bonecrusher, climb that tree now, retrieve the Mini-con!"  
  
The three Mini-cons made their way up the tree quite quickly before a massive branch was thrown down to Megatron. The tyrant went to grab it, but his hand was repelled by small lasers. His head turned to see Jolt. The Mini-con flew about him shooting him, not doing much but annoying the Decepticon leader.  
  
"Stay away from my friend!" The small helicopter screamed.  
  
"Insolent fool!" Megatron shouted as he snatched the red Mini-con from the air, "You think you can stop me."  
  
Jolt transformed in his hand, dropping his rather large blaster as he yelled out. "I won't let you hurt him!"  
  
"And you think you can stop me?" Megatron chuckled as he began to crush the small Transformer.  
  
"JOLT!" All of a sudden a yellow blur tackled him, releasing his hold on the Mini-con. Hot Shot rolled asides, cradling his friend.  
  
"Cursed Autobot, no matter, I have what I came for." Megatron declared as he grabbed the Mini-con panel, "Decepticons retreat!"  
  
With that order Megatron, his Mini-cons, and the unconscious form of Cyclonus disappeared from view.  
  
"You saved me." Jolt began.  
  
"Sorry I was so stupid back there." Hot Shot apologized.  
  
"It's alright, but we lost the Mini-con" Jolt whimpered.  
  
"We'll get him back, don't worry." Hot Shot reassured his friend. Optimus and Red Alert rolled in just a few cycles later.  
  
"Hot Shot!?" Red Alert exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I was reminded that I had friends that needed me, and that I was being selfish." The yellow Autobot said as he stood up.  
  
"Glad to have you back in your right frame of mind." Prime said as he transformed and put his hand on Hot Shot's shoulder, "What's the situation?"  
  
"Megatron got away with the Mini-con, hey, where's Smokescreen?" Hot Shot asked as he glanced around.  
  
The crane Autobot came out of the bushes as if on cue, Liftor cradled in his arms, "Ooowwww.." The crane muttered, rubbing his head.  
  
"Smokescreen, what happened, are you hurt?" Red Alert asked, running over to Smokescreen and taking the unconscious Mini-con.  
  
"That Slottin Scavenger blindsided me from behind when I took out Demolisher, how's everyone else?" Smokescreen said, still favoring his head.  
  
"Megatron got the Mini-con and Sideways kidnapped Spiral." Prime said dejectedly as Sparkplug and Jolt gasped.  
  
"What! How could he!" Jolt yelled.  
  
"No...." Sparkplug hung his head. Long-arm just stared on.  
  
"Argh! If I would have been here we could have stopped them!" Hot Shot groaned.  
  
"It's not your fault, you weren't in the mental state for combat," Optimus consoled him, "Lets head back to base for what little rest we can get, Autobots, roll out!"  
  
The four bots and their small companions trudged back to the warp gate, spirits quite low.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Sideways just finished reprogramming Spiral. He was rather glad that the other Decepticons weren't around, the Mini-con's loud protests would have only gotten complaints from them. The motorcycle bot let out an audible sigh as he put down his tools and let the Mini-con stay offline until the new programming fully rebooted him. Sideways was about to head for his quarters when a view screen started up. Started, Sideways pulled his guns to bear on the screen, but stopped dead when he saw a pair of ominous eyes staring him down.  
  
"S.sir, you, you, startled me." Sideways gasped, visibly shaken, very unlike him.  
  
"Hmph, I assume you put the necessary programming in that Mini-con?" The voice dripped with an unidentifiable accent.  
  
"Ye.yes, my lord, all goes as you planned." The biker bot quickly spat, "I'm getting all the info on the Decepticons and Autobots, like you wished."  
  
"Excellent, do not fail me Sideways, and remember," Sideways started screaming as a searing flash of pain ripped through his structure, "You are and will always be my creature, so do not cross me."  
  
"I, I, would..never...think it, my, my lord!" Sideways gasped as he fell to his knees, clutching his chest."  
  
"Good, I will contact you later, until then, stick with the plan." The voice said before the vid-screen went blank. Sideways collapsed, wheezing as the pain subsided. He suddenly heard a noise behind him, and fired off a shot from his right gauntlet as he turned, to see that he just missed Scavenger.  
  
"What's with you?" The bulldozer inquired, "Whatever, Megatron wants to see you, you best hurry."  
  
"A.alright, I'm going." Sideways muttered as he stumbled to his feet. Scavenger wondered what could shake up the usually cool motorcycle as he watched him limp off. Scavenger came up to Spiral, to see that he was already reprogrammed. He looked around and spied his former memory chip and quickly slipped it into a subspace pocket.  
  
"When I'm ready, I'll make this up to you, I promise." The mercenary spoke to the blank Mini-con before stalking off.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
"So I hear you captured one of the Autobot's Mini-cons hmmm?" Megatron spoke, a stout yellow Mini-con with a buzz-saw on its arm sat on his lap. "Did you salvage any information before reprogramming it?  
  
"No sir, it had a failsafe program installed, but it has been successfully converted and will be ready for work in a mega-cycle." Sideways responded, still clutching his chest.  
  
"Alright then, you are excused to repair yourself with the rest of my troops, we have gained two Mini-cons, I suppose we can call it a day," Megatron chuckled as Leader-1 brought him a glass of energon wine. Sideways quickly made himself scarce as the tyrant planned his next move.  
  
To be continued......  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Holy cripes, that was longer than I expected. Conspiracy, betrayal, and foreshadowing, oh my! I got a few ideas from the episode after rebellion, which was inferior to the massively loved rebellion episode, they gave the whole thing to the Decepticons. _ squeals like a school girl _ Please read and review, any comments welcome, I have big plans, yesssssss! 


	3. Despair

Disclaimer: I don't own transformers, so leave me be before I curl into a ball! :P  
  
Wow, part three, anyways, this fic is now going to be an Alternate Universe fic, meaning I'm not going with what the show has done, but keeping it true to being after Credulous. Thanks to all my reviewers and I hope you enjoy this installment, I love Decepticons and Sideways :P  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Optimus Prime barreled into Megatron, knocking the tyrant back. Both factions were engaged in a heavy firefight over a new Mini-con panel. It was the Decepticons that triumphed in the end. Starscream had taken Smokescreen and Hot Shot out with his Star Sabre. Red Alert was held back by Scavenger and Demolisher as Megatron kept Prime busy. This left Cyclonus free to get the Mini-con, which was lodged in a rock off the shore of the beach they were battling on. Cyclonus shrugged off the small stun shots from Lazerbeak as he snatched up the Mini-con.  
  
"OH goody! Activate!" The helicopter cackled as a tan six-wheeler with a massive cannon appeared out of the panel. "Hehehahahah, Knock-out, POWERLINK!"  
  
The military vehicle attached to Cyclonus' left side as he shot off a powered up blast and the missile from Knock-out. Lazerbeak banked wide as the projectiles kept traveling and blew Prime from his feet.  
  
"Excellent Cyclonus, Decepticons move out." Megatron bellowed triumphantly as his troops warped out.  
  
"This is getting ridiculous." Smokescreen muttered as he felt his wounds. "We are completely out-numbered."  
  
"Can you make it back to base?" Prime asked with concern. A nod from Smokescreen reassured him as Hot Shot suddenly shouted.  
  
"Hey, check it out, they missed one!" Hot Shot cried as he held up a Mini- con panel triumphantly.  
  
"Wait, theres something different about that one." Red Alert commented. "It's pitch black."  
  
"What? That's odd...lets take it back to base, we can check it out there." Prime ordered "Autobots, transform!"  
  
The Autobots changed quickly and went to the warp gate. Meanwhile, on the cliff side, Sideways cackled loudly as he warped back to base.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Sideways returned to base to see the Decepticons celebrating. He had never seen morale this high. Megatron was commending Cyclonus on his latest catch, and Demolisher was having a conversation with Starscream. Scavenger just kind of hung back like always.  
  
"Sideways!" Megatron called out. "We missed you for most of the battle today, where were you?"  
  
"Well you see Megatron." Sideways trailed off, "I was doing reconnaissance, looking for Mini-cons you know, it seemed everything was under control."  
  
"I see, did you discover anything useful?" The Decepticon leader queried.  
  
"I did discover that a Mini-con panel got left behind, you guys must have missed it, it was close to the battle, I tried to retrieve it but the Autobots had regained their senses, and you know, it was four on one, so I had to bail." The motorcycle explained.  
  
"I suppose it isn't to big of a deal, I doubt it will help the Autobots any." Megatron began to laugh, "We're celebrating our recent win streak, go and relax now Sideways."  
  
"Thank you sir, I think I will." Sideways bowed as he left the room.  
  
"Wonder why he never sticks around?" Starscream stated.  
  
"Maybe he just isn't a social bot." Demolisher replied.  
  
"I'm gonna go see what's up." Starscream said as he left the room, beckoning Swindle to follow.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Red Alert scanned the Mini-con panel again. Nothing about it was revealed. The rest of the Autobots stood where the panel was being scanned as Red Alert worked the console. The kids were there and were getting impatient about the new Mini-con.  
  
"What do you think it could be?" Billy said aloud.  
  
"I bet its gonna be mega-cool!" Fred cheered.  
  
"It hasn't even come on-line, lets not jump to conclusions." Alexis calmed Fred.  
  
"Maybe it's one of those ones that only activate when three Mini-cons are united?" Rad said.  
  
"Prolly" Carlos shrugged.  
  
"I don't think its that, it seems to have a dormant program, something outside has to activate it." Red Alert explained. "I'm working on getting the image of the Mini-con now."  
  
"Keep at it Red Alert. Hot Shot, Smokescreen, keep the scanners going for any Decepticon activity." Optimus ordered as he started to depart. "I have some business to attend to, I'll be in my quarters."  
  
"Yes sir Optimus." Red Alert, Smokescreen, and Hot Shot replied in unison as the kids mingled with the Mini-cons.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Cybertron, Autobot HQ  
  
The large white, silver, and red Autobot sat at the desk, quite bored. He hated desk jobs, being the Autobot Vice-commander wasn't really what it was cracked up to be. He stared blankly at the Decepticon attack reports. There were so many coming in, but not as many as there used to be. They're just keeping up the pressure while Megatron was on Earth. The bot now yawned loudly as his door opened. A blue and gray bot stood there, chuckling softly.  
  
"Amused as always, Jetfire?" The blue bot chuckled.  
  
"Blurr my man, how goes it." Jetfire perked up, "Any info on the D-cons?"  
  
"Thrust is amassing resources as we speak, he may be going to reinforce Megatron on Earth." Blurr responded, leaning on the doorway as he checked over his gun.  
  
"Hmmm, that's a major bummer, but on the plus side, that'll mean we may have to leave soon too." Jetfire would have smiled, had he a mouth. "Finally, I can get out from behind this desk, booyah!"  
  
"You have the spark of a 5 year old earthling, you know that." Blurr muttered.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Starscream landed a by a ledge where Sideways' wheel tracks came to an end. Swindle came back and reported that Sideways was in fact down there, and he seemed to be acting odd. ~Acting odd, not hard for him.~ Starscream thought as he peered over the rocky ledge. Sideways was kneeling, as were two Mini-cons besides him. ~Two, what the, hey wait a sec, his head!~ Starscream realized that Sideways' true head was showing as he ducked down lower.  
  
"Master, I have planted your package as you specified, the Autobots retrieved it." Sideways yelled out seemingly to no one, but that's when Starscream heard it.  
  
"You have done well my minion, very well!" The voice boomed, a metallic twang and an unidentifiable accent were both quite present as it went on. "I shall activate it during the next battle, then, the plan shall truly begin."  
  
"Yes my lord, but what use shall it be if the Autobots leave it at base." Sideways questioned.  
  
"I shall see to that, the Autobots will have it, rest assured, and then I will begin to trigger the end of Decepticons and Autobots alike!" The voice exclaimed as Starscream cringed, "With the ones here out of the way, their planet shall fall easily."  
  
"Shall I continue the plan to eliminate Megatron, my lord?" The motorcycle asked.  
  
"Yes, he is the only one that I can see becoming a threat, unlike the Autobot's leader, he is not easily blinded and has the cold, calculating mind that could be able to foil my scheme." The voice stated, "Keep readying Starscream to take him out, but do not rush things, or else Megatron will simply defeat him and his massive ego."  
  
"As you wish, my lord." Sideways stood with a bow, his purple and yellow cylindrical face emotionless. Starscream suddenly brought himself back to reality and hid behind a massive crag in the moon's surface as Sideways sped back to base. Starscream stared off wide eyed, finally shaking it off and returning as well.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Optimus Prime sighed. The Autobots were clearly losing, having lost most of the Mini-cons to the Decepticons. Prime figured that they needed reinforcements, so he decided to check on Cybertron. Prime typed a few keys on the keyboard, and a channel to Cybertron opened.  
  
"Hey there, this is Autobot HQ on Cybertron, how may I take your order." The screen displayed an Autobot symbol.  
  
"I'd like to speak to the Vice-commander please." Prime would have rolled his optics if he could have.  
  
"Would you like some fries with that?" The screen asked.  
  
"Very funny Jetfire." Prime chuckled slightly.  
  
The screen switched to the red and gold visage of Jetfire, who was laughing loudly. "I just can't pull one over on you old man, can I?"  
  
"You're always the joker around here aren't you." Prime said, putting his head in his hand. "How did you manage to get the title "Vice-commander" again?"  
  
"I think it was the maneuver I pulled at the battle of Pluto, but then again." Jetfire scratched his chin. "I do believe it was my good looks and charm that secured me the spot."  
  
"I feel sorry for the Autobots I left under you command" Prime laughed hard now. Whenever Jetfire was around, a bot just couldn't help but feel good, that's what made Prime believe he was a worthy "Vice-commander". "But down to business, I've got some serious trouble here Jetfire, we're outnumbered and losing, and its too soon to pull our mole."  
  
"I've heard, also, I've been told Thrust may be planning to come to Earth too." Jetfire replied somberly. "I'll have Blurr come join you guys, but it'll take two or three solar cycles at most for him to arrive."  
  
"Whys that? The space bridge would get him here almost immediately I would think." Prime inquired.  
  
"Well yasee..He's still tailing Thrust, trying to get more info, it'd be a day or two before he returns I presume." Jetfire fidgeted uncomfortably. "And nobody else has the training to go at this time."  
  
"I see, do you suppose if Thrust moves that most Decepticon activity would cease on Cybertron?" Prime asked.  
  
"I would assume, he's Megatron's main bot, I doubt they'll have a new leader once he leaves, just a bunch of Decepticon raid groups, nothing our guard patrols couldn't handle." Jetfire responded.  
  
"Excellent, then that settles it." Prime exclaimed as Jetfire gave him a quizzical look. "If Thrust moves to Earth, I want you here on the double."  
  
"Really!?" Jetfire almost jumped out of his seat, but quickly regained his composure. "Yes sir, I'll keep heavy tabs on Thrust until he makes his move."  
  
"Great, Prime out." Optimus said as Jetfire saluted and the screen went blank. "Now, if we can just work out the data Scavenger is getting us."  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Soon after Sideways returned, Starscream appeared. He came up to Scavenger looking very perplexed.  
  
"Can I talk to you alone?" Starscream started, and got desperate when he saw the look of annoyance in Scavenger's eyes, "Please?"  
  
That caught Scavenger's attention, Starscream, no matter what, would ever use the word "please". Scavenger followed Starscream to his private quarters. Starscream hit a switch on the wall and a funny aura went over the walls. Scavenger figured Starscream had soundproofed the room, he was very paranoid like that. Scavenger leaned against the wall as Starscream began.  
  
"I think something wrong is going on, with Sideways I mean." Starscream started. "I just saw him, talking with something.."  
  
"Something? What do you mean something?" Scavenger raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I don't know!!!" Starscream yelled, "nothing was there, but I was getting a massive energy reading, and I could hear the voice loud and clear, it sounded so, so."  
  
"Evil" Scavenger finished.  
  
"YES!" Starscream said, but then looked at Scavenger funny, "wait, how would you know?"  
  
"I've been watching him ever since he switched sides, something seems, purely wrong with that bot." Scavenger said, "He has been talking to himself a lot too."  
  
"The voice..." Starscream trailed off, "It talked of eliminating us, the Autobots, and the Mini-cons, then taking out Cybertron itself!"  
  
"What?" Scavenger asked, visibly concerned.  
  
"Yes, and supposedly Sideways is supposed to be using me, ME!" Starscream was now getting angry, "They wanted to use me as a pawn to destroy Megatron! Nobody uses me, NOBODY!"  
  
"Calm down! If this thing is so powerful, why does it want you to get rid of Megatron?" Scavenger questioned, "And why are you telling me all of this?"  
  
"It said that Megatron could not be fooled easily like Optimus Prime, and that he was the only threat that stood in his way." Starscream finished and sighed, "I'm telling you because you aren't irrational like Megatron, and not a dolt like Cyclonus or Demolisher."  
  
Scavenger was about to speak when all of a sudden the alarms sounded. "Perfect timing, we should go, before anyone gets suspicious."  
  
"NO! Wait, theres more, this battle, something." Starscream started, but was cut off by Scavenger.  
  
"Tell me when we get back, the sooner we get this over with we can come up with some sort of plan." Scavenger stated coolly as he walked out. Starscream stuttered, then growled loudly.  
  
"Looks like I'm going to have to do something myself, Air-defense team, Swindle, come to me!" Starscream shouted as his Mini-cons appeared by his side. He then headed to the warp gate.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Alarms brought Optimus Prime from his quarters. "What's the situation?"  
  
"Mini-con detected sir, I've got the coordinates on-screen." Smokescreen replied quickly.  
  
"Alright, mobilize our forces, kids, get to the com-room and keep in contact, we'll need Lazerbeak to scout, Red Alert, go over the launch check, Hot Shot, get defenses up from here and meet us all in the warp room, got that?" Prime barked as he heard a unanimous "Yes Sir" from all the bots in the room and the clatter and chatter of the kids.  
  
Hot Shot typed in the finishing touches as everyone left. Nobody else was in the room. Hot Shot stood and prepared to head to the warp room when a glow caught his eye. He turned to see a black light coming from the Mini- con panel that was being scanned earlier. The he heard it. ~Help me~. He shook his head.  
  
"Hello?" He said as he came to the panel, tapping it. ~Take me with you.....don't leave me.~ Hot Shot still looked at the panel funny. He picked it up. It seemed to pulse with power, like it being near him would help it. "Eh, what can it hurt to take it with me, I'll just keep it safe."  
  
With that he dropped the panel in a subspace pocket as he headed to the warp room. Far away, a voice was cackling madly.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
The Autobots and Decepticons came out of warp nearly at the same time. The transforming noise was heard loudly as bots switched to robot mode and linked up with Mini-cons. Lazerbeak soared off to locate the Mini- con as Transformers on either side got cover and shot off at other bots. Starscream just sat behind a rock, ignoring everything, trying to make sense of what was going on. Red Alert and Demolisher were both downed, then Cyclonus was shot out of the sky.  
  
"What are you doing Starscream, open fire!" Megatron shouted.  
  
"You don't even know the half of what's going on fool." Starscream muttered as he fired a salvo from his chest at Optimus. Prime ducked as portions of his cover blew up.  
  
"Optimus, we have found the Mini-con, its twenty clicks due west!" Rad said over the com-link.  
  
"Great, Hot Shot, try to get it!" Prime yelled.  
  
"I'm on it, Jolt powerlink!" Hot Shot cried as the red helicopter linked to his backside and a massive cannon flipped up, Hot Shot lowered his visor and let a torrent of energy spill out of the cannon. Cyclonus and Sideways yelled and ducked as their cover burst into tiny bits of shrapnel. Cyclonus flew upwards as Sideways dived to the side. Hot Shot fired in Megatron's direction as Smokescreen covered Hot Shot, shooting at Starscream with his long-arm cannon, Liftor already linked up. Scavenger picked up a rock and flung it in Smokescreen's direction but Optimus shot the rock, and then Scavenger with his wrist gauntlets. Scavenger was thrown back as Hot Shot inched his way towards the Mini-cons location. Sideways grunted as he got up and fired his wrist lasers at Hot Shot. Hot Shot barely was able to leap out of the way as the ground behind him burst. He landed deftly on his feet and fired at Sideways, who got clipped in the leg by the beam. He screamed in pain as he fell behind a rock. Megatron fired his cannon at Prime, after linking with Leader-1, kicking up dust around the Autobot leader. He quickly sent Bonecrusher off to retrieve the Mini-con while he kept firing, putting his hands to his optics after Smokescreen shot a blast his way. Hot Shot was finally knocked down from a salvo from Starscream as he kept the pressure on Sideways. Red Alert was coming around as he sat up wearily. Cyclonus caught sight of him and fired from his new perch on top of the cliff as Red Alert rolled out of the way. Demolisher got up as he saw Prime firing on Megatron. He flipped his arms into attack mode and fired a large amount of lasers at Prime. Prime called on his trailer, which shifted to base mode behind a large rocky area. Sparkplug and Long-arm manned the guns as Demolisher hit the dirt. Megatron signaled for their own Mini-cons to give them cover as Buzz-saw, Knock-out, Crumplezone, and Drill-bit popped up and fired at Prime's base. Hot Shot and Scavenger were back up as they both went to where Lazerbeak was trying to free the Mini-con from its place imbedded in the rock. Hot Shot fired his cannon point blank at Scavenger, who merely punched through the blast and nailed Hot Shot in the head. Hot Shot groaned as he fell, and Red Alert immediately opened fire on Scavenger. Scavenger backed off as Jolt unlinked from Hot Shot, who was currently disoriented. Jolt hovered up and used his blaster to free the Mini-con panel. Jolt reached for it just to be tackled by Bonecrusher.  
  
"This Mini-con belongs to Megatron!" Bonecrusher yelled as he punched Jolt.  
  
"Why are you doing this!" Jolt cried as he rubbed his face and swung at Bonecrusher. The military Mini-con dodged and swiped his missile launcher directly across Jolt's faceplate. The red Mini-con moaned as he went down. Just then a hand grasped Bonecrusher.  
  
"That was my friend!" Hot Shot yelled at the Mini-con in his hand. Bonecrusher didn't speak, just shot his massive missile at Hot Shot, who turned his body to dodge the shot. Bonecrusher actually bit his hand to get away.  
  
"Argh! You little." Hot Shot trailed off as he kicked Bonecrusher, sending the small bot careening into Demolisher, who was attempting to get the Mini- con.  
  
Sideways peered out from him cover, still not able to use his leg. "Its time my lord."  
  
"Yes, I will start it now." The voice in Sideways' head said as Hot Shot got the Mini-con panel. The panel glowed as a green Mini-con who had a hook apparatus and a jeep alternate mode appeared next to Hot Shot. Just as both leaders were about to issue commands to protect or attack the yellow Autobot respectively, a black light came from Hot Shot. Hot Shot sent the new Mini-con to Optimus as he took the black Mini-con panel out of his sub-space pocket.  
  
"What's..happening to it?" Hot Shot said as he stared at it. All activity on the field stopped as everyone stared at Hot Shot. Starscream was the only one to do something.  
  
"This must be it!" He said, eyes wide with realization. "Sonar, Runway, Jetstorm, combine into the Star Sabre!!"  
  
Sonar flew past Starscream's hand as he grabbed the handle, Sonar's front splitting as he did. Jetstorm and Runway linked together at the thrusters and Jetstorm's cockpit flipped up, exposing the link point to Sonar. Jetstorm linked as he and Runway almost light on fire with blue energy. Starscream yelled out a savage cry as he charged Hot Shot. Sideways flung himself at Starscream, but got slashed directly by the Star Sabre. Sideways gurgled as he dropped offline. Starscream didn't stop running, despite the wide eyed looks he was now getting from all sides of the field. The black light grew blinding as Starscream had to stop and shield his optics. When the light faded, a pure black Mini-con floated in front of Hot Shot. It was sleek and angular. Starscream, seeing this, yelled out again as he charged at Hot Shot. Hot Shot dodged instinctively, but he wasn't Starscream's target, the Mini-con was. The blue blade of the Star Sabre went directly at the new Mini-con. Everyone listened for the sound of the Mini-con being run through, but it was never heard. A black sphere had encompassed the Mini-con, the Star Sabre's blade being stuck in it. Starscream just stared wide eyed as he attempted to jerk the Star Sabre away.  
  
"Despair: Transform!" The Mini-con said, a ghostly tone in it's voice as it shifted its form into a very sleek stealth bomber. The Mini-con flew upwards at speeds never know. Cyclonus was just hovering, watching the processions as Despair flew straight at him. Cyclonus shook his head and fired as the bomber dodged it and shot him, taking the Decepticon down easily. Starscream loudly growled as he had Swindle link up and fired the null-lasers at the new Mini-con. It dodged with ease as it dropped a few energy bombs from its hatch. They were incredibly small, but packed an incredible punch, Starscream flew out of the explosions though, badly dented and scratched as he flew at Despair with unfaltering rage. He, unlike all the rest of the bots here, except Sideways, knew what was going on. He swung the Star Sabre wildly at the small bot as it dodged then transformed, sending an orb of black energy as Starscream. He tried to deflect it with the Star Sabre as the blast overwhelmed him. A massive explosion occurred, Starscream and the Air-defense team being tossed out of it like rag dolls, smoking as the new Mini-con swooped down to Hot Shot. Hot Shot stepped back before he determined the bomber was not hostile.  
  
"I am here to serve the Autobots. Please, allow me to powerlink with you, and we'll finish the Decepticons off." The Mini-con offered in its ghostly tone. Hot Shot nodded as the bomber attached to Hot Shot's back side, bringing forward his cannon once more.  
  
"Fire on that Autobot!" Scavenger yelled as he was the first of either side to really snap out of the trance they'd been in. Scavenger powerlinked with Knock-out, activating his Dozer cannon, as he, Megatron, and Demolisher fired at Hot Shot. A black field of energy came up around the Autobot as his visor flipped down and he fired a pure black stream of lasers at the Decepticons. Scavenger and Demolisher were quickly dispatched as Megatron gasped.  
  
"Decepticons, RETREAT!" The tyrant screamed as all the fallen Decepticon bodies warped from sight. Hot Shot unlinked from the black Mini-con as the rest of the Autobots ran to him.  
  
"What in the name of Primus was that?" Smokescreen gaped as Prime helped Hot Shot stand.  
  
"Are you ok?" Optimus asked, a concerned tone in his voice.  
  
"I'll be....fine." Hot Shot muttered.  
  
"How did you activate that Mini-con?" Red Alert asked, staring at Despair. "And why did you have the panel with you?"  
  
"It.called out to me before leaving the base, I figured I could take it with, and then it just activated about the time I activated Ransack over there." Hot Shot explained, gesturing to the green jeep Mini-con.  
  
"We'll discuss this further at base, move out!" Prime commanded as they all slowly transformed and packed up the Mini-cons. Nobody saw the black clouds in Hot Shot's optics before he transformed. He allowed Despair into his drivers seat and the Autobot's warped to their base.  
  
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Blurr inched his way around the corner. He had tracked Thrust to this base and was tailing him the best he could. Blurr prided himself as a master of stealth and had rendered around six Decepticon guards unconscious just to get this far. He looked around the corner to see Thrust in front of a video screen. He was speaking to somebody.  
  
"Lord Megatron, all is in readiness, shall I come to reinforce you?" The wiry and angular bot spoke to the screen as Megatron's horned visage came onto the screen.  
  
"Yes, a situation has come up that will need your immediate attention, come as soon as you may." Megatron said. "I'm uploading a few earth vehicle designs that may please you, it may make your trip here easier."  
  
"Thank you lord Megatron, I've already chosen one that pleases me greatly, I shall join you within two solar cycles." Thrust chortled to his commander.  
  
"Excellent, Megatron out." Megatron's face disappeared from the screen as Thrust started to glow, beginning the scanning process. Blurr, seeing his chance, aimed his rifle at the back of Thrust's angular head. Blurr got his aim dead on, then pulled his trigger-finger back. He shouted out in pain as the rifle flew from his hand as a small robot dropped from the ceiling. It was stout and had a missile launcher on its back. It looked very old and very fierce. Thrust turned his head as his body now adored features of an Earth based jet fighter.  
  
"A Mini-con!" Blurr yelled as he rolled for his rifle. Thrust raised his hands and fired a few blasts at the Autobot. Blurr moved with incredible speed, snatching up his rifle and firing on the Mini-con, knocking it back.  
  
"Inferno, powerlink!" Thrust cried as the Mini-con transformed into a missile launching tank and hooked to Thrust's backside.  
  
"Where'd you get a Mini-con!" Blurr yelled to the Decepticon, however it was the Mini-con who answered from Thrust's back.  
  
"I choose to stay here and support the Decepticon cause, I believe that they are doing the right thing." Inferno called out.  
  
Blurr was not naïve like many other Autobot's out there, he knew it was a creature's choice, not their inherent nature, to be good or evil. "Well then, that just makes me feel better about having to scrap you!"  
  
"Not today Autobot, as much as I enjoy this game, I have an appointment elsewhere, good day!" Thrust yelled out, a slight English accent betraying his deep voice. "Thrust: Transform!"  
  
Blurr swore under his breath as Thrust switched to his fighter mode and flew out the window, sending glass shards everywhere. "Better get back to base, Jetfire's not gonna like this."  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Starscream lie on his recharge bunker. His optics flickered online as he groaned loudly. ~Did anyone get the number of that semi that hit me?~ Starscream thought as he sat up. To his surprise Megatron was sitting in the corner of his quarters.  
  
"Tell me...what did you do out there?" Megatron asked. Starscream nearly flinched, the tyrant's voice was as cold as ice.  
  
"I, I attacked the Autobot, I didn't want them getting control of the new Mini-con." Starscream stuttered.  
  
"Not only did you attack the ultra-powerful Mini-con, angering it, you attacked Sideways as well." Megatron said, his optics not leaving Starscream's. "Starscream, I must relieve you of the Star Sabre."  
  
"What!" Starscream yelled, fully coming to as he realized what Megatron said, "You can't do that!"  
  
"I'm afraid I must, I cannot leave a bot that may turn on his allies so quickly for whatever reason running around with such a powerful weapon." Megatron continued, "I have already taken Sonar, Jetstorm, and Runway and had their logic circuits reprogrammed to recognize me as their true master."  
  
"You, you, can't, you.." Starscream trailed off as he realized that the only bargaining chip he had was what he knew about Sideways, and he figured it wasn't time to reveal that yet.  
  
"It's already been done, be lucky you are allowed to keep Swindle, let alone keep functioning." Megatron sighed. "If you hadn't been the only of my troops to even try to stop this threat I would be putting down a more severe punishment, but what you did today, was, how can I say, slightly commendable."  
  
Starscream smirked slightly as Megatron left. Despite having the Star Sabre taken away, Starscream figured that a compliment from the tyrant was worth ten Star Sabres. Plus, Starscream knew something Megatron didn't, and that always made him feel better. Starscream laughed as he continued to recharge, getting ready the obstacle ahead of him.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
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wow, I didn't think I'd go this direction with the fic, but I like it, and btw Despair is my creation, just didn't want to ruin it in the disclaimer /\/\. I think Inferno is Thrust's Mini-cons name, if its otherwise, tell me and I'll fix it, k? Next time, What will Starscream do now, and what effects will Despair have on Hot Shot and the Autobots, What part will Thrust, Blurr, and Jetfire play, and will we find out who the heck Sideways is talking to (I know you all have an Idea or two)..we might, haven't decided :P ok, cya then read and review! 


	4. Old Friends and Then Some

Disclaimer: I own Despair, but nothing else, which kinda gives me that feeling :P  
  
Sorry it took so long, but I saw all the screen shot's of new toy prototypes, and upcoming armada toys, and all that that I wanted to incorporate more into my fic, so beware, character introductions by the barrel full this time around.  
  
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Megatron sat on his throne, as always, contemplating his situation. Leader-1 sat on his shoulder in a silent vigil. The tyrant pressed a few keys on his throne's armrest and it brought up several detailed profiles. The first group was his current troops and all available data on them. He glanced through them. Starscream, Cyclonus, Demolisher, Sideways, and Scavenger. The latter two had barely any information. Next was on all his Mini-con units. This list was constantly growing and at the same time shrinking, as it was a constant struggle to keep them in line. You never knew when one with a bleeding heart would let itself be "captured" by the Autobots. The other two were the Autobots and their Mini-cons. He eyed the Autobot list warily. It was unusually small, Prime was no fool, and he'd be calling in reinforcements soon. Luckily, Megatron was always considering his options, as if on cue, he felt and invisible presence in front of him.  
  
"Ah Thrust, punctual as usual." The tyrant remarked as the tactician uncloaked, kneeling before him.  
  
"Lord Megatron, I function only to serve you." Thrust said as his companion disengaged from him, and also knelt before Megatron.  
  
"We are here to serve." the Mini-con repeated.  
  
"I see you have brought Inferno along Thrust, I did not know he still functioned." Megatron said, eyeing the old Mini-con.  
  
"Oh he functions quite well on the contrary, and had been a valuable co- counsel to my plans my lord." Thrust said after a slight chuckle. "I have been viewing the data you have sent me on my way here, and I believe I can formulate a plan that will add up to your success, but there is one thing troubling me."  
  
"Oh, and that would be?" The tyrant asked.  
  
"He is talking about the strange Mini-con that you have informed us about, no lone Mini-con I can remember possesses that amount of power." Inferno stated.  
  
"Yes, it is troubling indeed, but we must get by it, for it as of the moment is the only thing keeping the Autobots from being crushed!" Megatron's voice slowly rose higher.  
  
"Do not worry my lord, we shall obliterate the enemy, it has been foreseen!" Thrust said, motioning to the hole in the ceiling, Earth being clearly visible. "The Earth is in your sights, it is a sign that you shall crush your opposition."  
  
This comment caused the Decepticon leader to laugh audibly. "I suppose it does, my dear Thrust, go, recharge, you must be tired after your long journey, tomorrow we shall integrate you with my troops and we shall deliver the deciding blow to the Autobots."  
  
"Thank you my lord, come Inferno." Thrust said with a bow, before leaving the room. In the shadows, Sideways could be seen, staring on.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Starscream looked around nervously before flipping the switch on the vid-screen. He punched in a few keys and a darkened face came onto the screen. The face, covered in shadows, stared at him for a minute before realizing who it was.  
  
"Screamer?" The face said, optics wide in the darkened area.  
  
"Thundy!" Starscream let out a sigh. "I wasn't sure you'd be in, by Primus its dark in there."  
  
"Oh sorry, heheh." 'Thundy' disappeared from the screen for a second before a light flipped on. When the bot returned, anyone else would have done a double take. The bot looked exactly like Starscream save for a Blue and White color scheme to Starscream's Red and Grey, and being devoid of a jet fighter mode. "So what ya need bro, I thought you were grabbing the Mini- cons and coming back to be all famous."  
  
"It's gone deeper than that Thundercracker, way deeper." Starscream's voice was very solemn. "I don't know who to trust, so I was going to."  
  
"You want to bring someone in who won't shove a knife in your back, that's it isn't it." The bot known fully as Thundercracker cut off his twin. "Sure, I'm in, I didn't think you'd last that long without your older brother's guidance."  
  
"Funny Thundy, very funny, what about Skywarp?" Starscream interjected. "He's liable to want to come too."  
  
"Eh, I'll leave him a note or something, he'll keep tabs on the shop while I'm gone, no use in letting his inexperienced arse get slagged anyway." Thundercracker laughed, "He can always be a good back up plan, but right now it doesn't seem like you're that desperate."  
  
"Great, I'm uploading you a vehicle mode that'll please you and freak Megatron out at the same time." Starscream smirked as Thundercracker waited for the data to load.  
  
"Hey Screamer, this one looks just like yours." Thundercracker gave the same exact smirk back to his brother. "It's perfect, I'll be there within the solar cycle, later."  
  
"Excellent, see you than, and Thundy, watch your back." The seeker warned before flipping the vid-screen off in the middle of his elder brother's rumbling laugh. "Perfect, now I have the upper hand against whatever that freak Sideways has cooking...I hope."  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Prime had the troops line up as the Cybertronian shuttle pulled into the Autobot base's hangar bay. The ship's doors opened as three bots stepped down. The middle, and largest, appeared to be a space shuttle. The other two bots were both blue and had car modes. The one to the right had gray armor and dual blasters, and looked dead serious. The one to the left was more of a splash of car parts, blue, and orange. He bore an expression of a ruffian.  
  
"Prime, got your reinforcements right here my man, hey, Hot Shot, Smokescreen, how goes it, get that stick outa Red Alert's exhaust yet?" The larger bot spouted quickly.  
  
"Slow down Jetfire," Prime chuckled with the rest of the crew, Red Alert first letting out a scoff, then a chuckle, "You haven't introduced your companions yet."  
  
"Oh sorry bout that, just excited to see the gang I suppose." Jetfire quipped, "Go on and introduce yourselves."  
  
"Hmph, I am Blurr, and I am looking forward to working with you all." The bot with gray armor said as he came forward and shook everyone's hand.  
  
"I'm Sideswipe, and I'm gonna bust up some Decepticon arse real good." The other blue bot laughed as he looked around and spotted the kids. "What's with the munchkins?"  
  
"HEY!" Pretty much all the kids said in unison. Jetfire gave a forearm to Sideswipe as Hot Shot glared at the bot.  
  
"They're our good friends and invaluable to our fight against the Decepticons." Hot Shot said, unusually cold.  
  
"They look about as useful as skid marks if you ask me." Sideswipe declared with a shrug, "So, where's my quarters?"  
  
Red Alert held back Hot Shot as Optimus glared and pointed down the hall, "Down that way, Sparkplug will show you."  
  
"Great, catch ya later bots." Sideswipe waved as he followed the yellow Mini-con.  
  
Hot Shot yelled out as he slipped away from Red Alert's grasp. "Who decided to bring the gashole!"  
  
"Hey, that's a bit harsh!" Red Alert said.  
  
"I personally can't believe his nerve." Alexis huffed  
  
"Hey now, let's calm down." Jetfire said nervously waving his hands.  
  
"I do have a problem with someone insulting my friends vice-commander." Prime said deadpan.  
  
"Hey, I can explain, I can explain, he's got a personality glitch." Jetfire spouted frantically.  
  
"Looks like a punk to me" Smokescreen scoffed.  
  
"He's an excellent fighter, and doesn't have some of the reservations other Autobots may in a fight, but he still fights for the common good." Blurr commented.  
  
"He's got a bit of a people problem if you ask me." Rad said.  
  
"More like a human problem." Carlos scoffed.  
  
"Alright everyone, calm down, calm down." Optimus bellowed, getting control of the room. "Thank you for bringing much needed reinforcements Jetfire, and Blurr and Sideswipe are welcome additions to our roster, and we are all to treat Sideswipe as kindly as possible, is that clear?"  
  
An assortment of yes sirs and groans came from everyone as they all parted ways, Prime went to address Blurr and Jetfire, as Red Alert, Smokescreen, and the kids spoke about the new recruits. Hot Shot stalked off to his room as an eerie Mini-con followed.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Hot Shot fumed as he entered his room. He needed to talk to someone who would understand why that idiot Sideswipe peeved him off so much. He flipped on a vid-screen before punching in a few buttons. As he waited for the communication to go through a ghostly voice piped up besides him.  
  
"If that Autobot angers you so, you should destroy him." The black Mini- con suggested. Hot Shot stared at it for awhile.  
  
"What! Why would I do that, he makes me mad, but Autobot's don't attack their own!" Hot Shot defended quickly.  
  
"A mere suggestion, it would be a logic resolution to your hostilities towards him, I can help." Despair continued.  
  
"I said no!" Hot Shot cried as the vid-screen opened. A shadow-covered bot sat there, an Autobot symbol adorning his chest.  
  
"Why have you called me brother?" The bot asked.  
  
"I need someone to talk to and figured you would be the best shot." Hot Shot said.  
  
"What!? You called here just to 'Talk'! You don't even realize a war is going on do you!" The bot shouted, enraged suddenly.  
  
"Wheeljack, what's gotten into you!" Hot Shot said, taken aback.  
  
"I've gotten some sense into me Hot Shot, I've been thinking a lot lately." Wheeljack continued, "And I've realized Autobot sentiment is getting in the way of everything, the counsel's decisions, how our economy is looked at, and how the war is being handled."  
  
"Are you saying Optimus Prime is doing a bad job!" Hot Shot said.  
  
"He is a sentimental fool! And I think you are too!" Wheeljack spat, standing up and letting the light hit him more. His chest had a massive tear in it, right across the Autobot symbol. Below it was a small Decepticon symbol, which also adorned his shoulders. Hot Shot almost brought his weapons out on seeing the symbol.  
  
"The HELL! What's with the Decepticon logos!?" Hot Shot cried.  
  
"It's quite obvious isn't it, the Autobots are all fools, I cannot believe I was wearing their sigil for all these years!" Wheeljack continued to yell. "I'm going to join the side that has the type of military mind to win this war, and bring Cybertron to peace after all these years!"  
  
"You can't switch sides, how, what, why!!!" Hot Shot sputtered irrationally.  
  
"Sorry Hot Shot, but I have made up my mind, I wish you'd see things my way, but I suppose civil wars have pitted family against family before.." Wheeljack trailed off as he smirked. "I'll be seeing you soon Hot Shot, unfortunately, it'll be on the other side of my blaster!"  
  
Hot Shot cried out as the vid-screen shut down. "My own brother.....a DECEPTICON!"  
  
Hot Shot punched out the vid-screen as his eyes got a dark, glassy look. Despair's eyes glowed as it chuckled.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Sideways sat cross-legged in the middle of nowhere. Well, that was easy on the moon. He heard a soft thud behind him. He scoffed visibly before addressing the sound.  
  
"Prowl, master did not inform me of your coming." Sideways said as he rose and turned. Sitting there was a cyborg owl, grooming its odd mix of cybernetic and organic feathers. It had a large red transparent patch over one eye.  
  
"I came to oversee everything, not to fight. At least not now, alright?" Prowl spoke, adding rhymes to some of his words. Something he did from time to time, to amuse himself.  
  
"If Prime or Megatron see you they'll demand to know who you are." Sideways said, "And what's with that form, it doesn't even have Mini-con powerlink ports."  
  
"This form gives me the means to do my job. Not energy beams to lob." The owl said.  
  
"So why did master send you?" Sideways interjected.  
  
"He didn't." Prowl simply stated before transforming to robot mode. The owls legs elongated as the thrusters came up and arms slide out from behind the legs. The owl main body rotated forward as the wings adorned his shoulders and the head became his chest. He was a splash of black, silver, red, and blue. His head still bore owl like features and a monocle. Before Sideways could retort the owl warped, disappearing from sight.  
  
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Cyclonus grumbled as he directed Crumplezone, Drill-bit, Buzz-saw, Bonecrusher, and Knock-out in building what Megatron had ordered. ~This is going to take a long time, where is Demolisher, he's supposed to be helping me!~ Cyclonus thought as Buzz-saw and Drill-bit cut out pieces of steel. Crumplezone, Bonecrusher, and Knock-out where moving the pieces to the correct areas as Cyclonus did the same to another. Multiple pieces looked like parts to ship hulls, Megatron hadn't given him a complete schematic, saying that he'll take care of the final stages himself. Cyclonus whirled around as the door slid open behind him. Demolisher was walking in with Black-out seated on his back.  
  
"Where were you! I can't stand all these schematics, you're better outfitted for this job!" Cyclonus whined loudly as Demolisher had Black-out join the others.  
  
"I went to check on Megatron, and there was another bot with him, it looked like Thrust!" Demolisher exclaimed.  
  
"Thrust? The great general Thrust? Why is he here?" Cyclonus questioned.  
  
"I don't know but it's great news, with the extra man-power, theres no way the Autobot's will survive!" Demolisher cried happily as he turned to the massive sheets of metal. "So what's this for anyway?  
  
"I don't know, something Megatron is calling 'Project: Tidal Wave'." Cyclonus said. "All I know is that we're to build, not ask questions, so come here and help me move this!"  
  
"Alright, I'm coming, I'm coming." Demolisher said as he and Cyclonus lifted a massive piece of sheet metal into place.  
  
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Sideswipe was in his quarters, making things comfortable. He hadn't known why everyone was so angry with him earlier, he got along fine with Blurr and Jetfire. They had come to him after he was being brought by the SP's for getting into a street fight. ~Some slaggin Decepticon thought he could trash on me, hmph!~ He thought as he recalled Jetfire asking him if he wanted the charges dropped and a chance to fight. He had gladly accepted, fighting was his way of life, and unlike most Autobots, he didn't care how the job got done. He had just put the finishing touches on his room and sat down to relax until he was briefed. Then he heard something outside.  
  
"Despair! Powerlink!" He heard the voice cry as a high pitch humming noise started.  
  
"What the slaggin hell?" He said a dark beam of energy shot through the wall, barely missing him. He then saw Hot Shot, visor down and cannon activated and smoking. "What the hell are you doing!?"  
  
"Eliminating a problem." Hot Shot said, his tone almost ghostly as he blasted at Sideswipe again. Sideswipe barreled to the door and ran through it before converting to car mode, trying to find someone to help him. Hot Shot also converted to car mode, the stealth bomber still linked to his backside. Sideswipe navigated the base fairly well, trying to remember his way back, he checked his rearview mirror to see Hot Shot catching up, driving claws extended and whirring, attempting to ram the back of him. He pushed the accelerator harder before barreling into the control room, transforming as he closed the door and put his back to it. Jetfire, Red Alert, and Optimus were all seated in there, giving him odd looks.  
  
"Help me! He's after me!" Sideswipe cried, panicked.  
  
"Who!" Optimus said.  
  
"The yellow guy, he's got some insane Mini-con linked up and slagged my room!" Sideswipe continued, "Don't let him get me!"  
  
"Whoa there big fella, just calm down, you sure he's." Jetfire was cut off as another dark beam cut through the door, Sideswipe leaping out of the way as Hot Shot jumped onto Sideswipe and started punching him. Sideswipe blocked with his arms and attempted to wrestle his way out of Hot Shot's grip. Jetfire and Red Alert ran over to restrain Hot Shot as he pushed the larger bots aside, and flipped his cannon up. His stare bore into Sideswipe, almost piercing his spark itself. It made him very, very afraid. Just went it looked like Hot Shot would fire, he yelled out as the cannon flipped back and the dark glaze over his optics faded. Prime stood behind Hot Shot, Despair in his hands, struggling to transform and attack him. Sideswipe hyperventilated before passing out. Jetfire and Red Alert helped Prime restrain the Mini-con as they took it to a containment unit. It screamed in protest as it was locked in an energy field. Hot Shot was then dragged into another containment field by Prime.  
  
"Is it necessary to lock him up?" Red Alert asked.  
  
"After what just transpired, we can't take any chances." Optimus looked grim. "Get Sideswipe some medical help and have Smokescreen try to patch the base up, then I want you to run every scan possible on that Mini-con, Jetfire, you and Blurr guard in here."  
  
"Gotcha boss, I'll go grab Blurr and sit tight right here, and I'll see what's up with Hot Shot when he wakes up." Jetfire said, his voice full of concern. "Where you gonna go?"  
  
"To think, and check up on all our Mini-cons, call me if needed." Prime stated, a weary look in his optics. "I want to know the second he wakes up."  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
The moonlight glinted off of Prowl's metal parts as he flew over a massive forest. It had a river running rapidly though it, almost glowing with the light of the moon. Prowl's eye patch light up as it scanned the area. He looked about before coming down to land. He switched to robot mode, owl claw's clicking against the ground as he looked at a fairly large rock formation in front of him. In the middle was a green panel, a stylized M adoring its center. Prowl's right gauntlet produced claws as he punched the rock, freeing the panel. He sat it before him as he sat cross- legged staring at it. It began to glow suddenly as the silhouette of small bot became apparent, it was green with car parts littering its body, the M present on its chest. It looked up at the owl transformer as it began to speak.  
  
"Who are you, you don't look like any Cybertronian I've ever seen?" The Mini-con stated.  
  
"That's right, I am called Prowl, and I am quite different from any regular Cybertronian." Prowl chuckled. "What are you called, my small friend?"  
  
"My name is Backtrack." The Mini-con stated, then cocked his head. "What do you want from me, do you want to use me like the others?"  
  
"No, as you can see, my form does not include any ports to link up with your kind." Prowl said as he stood, holding out his arms and stretching his wings. Then turning completely around to show the Mini-con he had no powerlink ports.  
  
"Then what do you want with me?" Backtrack asked, confused.  
  
"I simply wish for, a partner." Prowl said bluntly, "In my line of work, I won't make any friends, and I would love to have a co-counsel so to speak."  
  
"And you would choose me?" Backtrack responded, "I thought you larger bots viewed us as inferior?"  
  
"Not at all, in fact, you look much smarter than some of the bigger bots I've seen around here." Prowl chuckled. "I would be honored for you to be my partner."  
  
"Alright, I'll take your word for It." Backtrack stated, then Prowl held his hand out. Backtrack smirked and took the much larger hand and shook it, sealing the partnership.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Scavenger kept his optics on the console he was working as his comm sounded. He answered it, surprised to hear Optimus's voice over it.  
  
"Scavenger, come in." Prime said over the comm unit.  
  
"Scavenger here, what do you need Prime." The double agent replied.  
  
"We need to pull you out Scavenger, something has come up." Prime said.  
  
"What? I thought you just got reinforcements." The bulldozer stated quietly.  
  
"Yes, but this is something else, regarding the new Mini-con." Prime said, his voice holding no emotion.  
  
"So, Starscream was right to be freaked out." Scavenger muttered under his breath. "Alright, I'll cut any loose ends and be there as soon as possible, Scavenger out."  
  
Scavenger turned off his comm-link and pulled out his data disk. He hadn't been able to finish getting all the data that Megatron had on this new project of his. He walked down the hall, going to the Mini-con containment area. He stepped inside to see Spiral. The little blue bot, even though his memory was removed, had still rejected the programming Sideways had given him and acted irrational. Scavenger powered down the containment field as the Mini-con perked its head up in confusion. Scavenger produced a small chip from his subspace compartment and walked behind the Mini-con, hitting it's very small power-down switch, which was standard issue to all bots for medical procedure reasons. Opening Spiral's back compartment, he reinstalled the chip, the let the bot stay shut down. He put the bot in his quarters before heading to the throne room.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Starscream sat in a crater on the dark side of the moon. Swindle was with him, complaining as always.  
  
"Why are we on the DARK side, it's freezing my internal circuits! Swindle cried.  
  
"Because I still want Thundy to be a surprise to Megatron, and this is the only way he won't detect him landing." Starscream said, then began chuckling, "Imagine the look on Megatron's face when he sees me and Thundercracker standing side by side, looking identical, it'll be priceless!"  
  
"Megatron is more likely to scrap you for bringing him in" Swindle sighed.  
  
"I doubt it, he needs all the man-power he can muster, and if he does scrap me." Starscream smirked, "I bet he'll melt you down too."  
  
"You do realize I hate you." The Mini-con retorted.  
  
"And your feelings have mattered to me since when?" Starscream laughed. He turned his head when he heard a rumbling sound. A jet, just like Starscream, but colored a brilliant blue with white detailing and red trim flew into view. With a yell of 'Thundercracker: Transform!', the jet switched to a robot identical to Starscream, the white accenting his legs, arms, and parts of his chest as the red cockpit and trim carried over and red also adorned his face, the rest was a midnight blue color.  
  
"So Screamer, how's it going?" Thundercracker laughed as he patted his brother on the back. "Who's your little pal?"  
  
"He is Swindle, a miserable excuse for a Mini-con, but he's all I have right now." Starscream said as Swindle made a face at them. "Come, you must meet Megatron, he'll love you, I'm sure!"  
  
"Hah! You're a riot Starscream, lead the way!" Thundercracker bellowed.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Megatron sat on his throne, dozing slightly, when he was snapped back to reality by the massive footsteps of Scavenger.  
  
"Megatron, I'm leaving." Scavenger said deadpan.  
  
"What! Now, when the Autobots are so close to being crushed." Megatron said, "Don't you want to be part of our grand victory."  
  
"Sadly, I have other matters to attend to, I've done my job." Scavenger said, "I've kept you guys from losing the man-power wars, and taught your troops a thing or two, that's why you brought me in, right?"  
  
"I suppose, and with Thrust now here, I suppose I'll allow you to go your own way." Megatron said despondently. "Your help was most appreciated."  
  
"The great Megatron giving a compliment, I'll be sure to treasure that always." Scavenger smirked.  
  
"Go now before I reduce you to scrap!" Megatron yelled. Scavenger quickly left as Megatron smirked slightly. "Autobot scum." He muttered under his breath. Just as it seemed he's get back to his nap, Starscream strode into the room, Swindle close behind. Starscream bore that unsettling smirk of his that made even Megatron uneasy.  
  
"Mighty Megatron, I have something of great importance to discuss with you." Starscream said, still grinning.  
  
"Get this over with now Starscream, I was having the most pleasant nap." The tyrant said, humoring the jet.  
  
"Alright then, meet Thundercracker." Starscream said as a blue and white clone of himself walked in, making Megatron's optics bug out. "My brother!"  
  
"Hey Megatron, heard nothing but good things about you!" Thundercracker rumbled, shaking the tyrant's hand as he stared at him.  
  
"What is the meaning of this Starscream!" Megatron bellowed.  
  
"Well, you always are looking for new troops, so I gave my brother a call." Starscream was stifling laughs from Megatron's ludicrous glares.  
  
"Well then, go introduce him to the other Decepticons, just get out of my sight!" Megatron yelled, still in disbelief. The duo headed to another part of the base before Megatron screamed. "By Primus, they made another one of him!"  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Wow, now with all those intros done, the story should progress a lot smoother now. I was looking at my Beast Wars figures the other day and found Prowl, the toy is beautifully made and I thought he'd make a good character, so I own his personality, but not his model, ok. :P Oh and don't worry if you don't see much of the kids, I don't like them, and thoroughly enjoyed writing Sideswipe's part there. I'm guessing on his and Thundercracker's personality from what I've seen from their pictures, same with Wheeljack. *Snickers* So next time, we'll see what the Autobot's do with Despair, what role Prowl plays in it all, and perhaps the identity of Sideways' and Prowl's master, if you didn't already know. Oh and Mini-cons popping up like bunnies too *laughs* R&R please and cya next time. 


	5. Shroud of Darkness

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or anything related other than Despair!  
  
Alright, I wrote the last chapter before I was informed that Starscream turns into Thundercracker. Now I do not like this, so in my continuty, Thundercracker and Starscream are separate individuals, because I couldn't stand them being one and the same. As for a Mini-con named Prowl, well I'll cross that hurdle when I get there.it is really tough to incorporate so many dang Mini-cons into the story, so don't be alarmed when the little buggers start springing up out of nowhere ^^  
  
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Sideswipe shook his fist as Demolisher dropped to the ground. ~Why did all these Mini-con signals have to pop up at once, there musta been ten or so!~ He thought as he ripped the Mini-con panel out of the overgrowth. He gave Black-out a swift kick before activating it. An odd shaped Mini- con appeared from the panel, pipes for legs, and bike wheels for arms.  
  
"Well..you're...cute" Sideswipe said, trying to not sound disgusted.  
  
"Nice to meet you too, ass, I'm Nightbeat." The small bot replied before jumping on his shoulder. "Now march, partner!"  
  
"I could like you yet, heheh." Sideswipe chuckled as they caught up to Blurr. He was engaged in a firefight with Thrust. Inferno and a small blue Mini-con grappled on the ground. Thrust suddenly tackled Blurr and snatched up another Mini-con panel. Thrust quickly activated it, and a small robot that shifted quickly into a very old style fighter jet briskly strafed Sideswipe, who dodged and shot a few rounds at it.  
  
"You can't catch Gunbarrel!" The Mini-con shrieked as it came around for another run.  
  
"Enough! Inferno, Gunbarrel, back to base!" Thrust yelled before warping out, the Mini-cons following suit.  
  
"Slag, he got that one." Blurr muttered as he dusted himself off and helped up the small blue Mini-con.  
  
"Looks like you got one too though." Sideswipe smirked, "The little prick I got riding with me is Nightbeat."  
  
With that comment Nightbeat simply kicked Sideswipe in the side of the head before sitting back down. Blurr laughed and propped the blue Mini-con to his shoulder.  
  
"Ha, you got a feisty one, this here is Incinerator." Blurr said as Incinerator waved his arm that looked like the hood of a car. "Lets see if the others are having as much trouble as us."  
  
"Right." Sideswipe nodded as the two transformed and linked with their new Mini-cons, speeding off to find their comrades.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Thundercracker and Starscream surrounded Jetfire, strafing and firing upon the massive Autobot Vice-commander. Jetfire fired off multiple plasma rounds, but only succeeded in singing the seekers. Starscream cackled as he brought the null laser cannons to bear on Jetfire. Jetfire was concentrating on the fire from Thundercracker so he barely turned in time to twist between the lasers. He still took a lot of the rays and slammed into the ravine wall hard. Starscream transformed and pinned him as Thundercracker pried a Mini-con panel from the rock wall. The panel activated quickly as a mostly white with blue version of Swindle appeared before him.  
  
"Figures Screamer, I scan your shell, and my Mini-con looks just like yours." Thundercracker rumbled. "I dub thee 'Zapmaster', now show me whatcha got!"  
  
Thundercracker smirked as the Mini-con jumped onto his back and linked up, swinging his own cannons forward. He charged them up as they crackled with electricity.  
  
"Bail now Starscream!" The seeker yelled as his brother dove out of the way, leaving Jetfire embedded in the rock. "Shock cannons, fire!"  
  
Jetfire's optics widened as he tried to free himself, but he ended up only getting his gun arm up and a plasma blast off before getting thrown into convulsions and falling to the ravine floor. Unfortunately Thundercracker took the brunt of the Plasma cannon and plummeted as well. Starscream flew down and caught Thundercracker, but they both came down hard. Meanwhile, Super Optimus Prime was guarding from Megatron and Sideways' combined fire. Prime had his massive cannon charged, and Sparkplug linked up, but he couldn't get an opening.  
  
"This is Optimus to any unit, I require a diversion!" Prime yelled into his comm as he crouched and held his arms up.  
  
"Hey Optimus, we got one diversion comin right up." Alexis responded while directing Laserbeak from Autobot HQ. Sideways yelled out as the small video cam bird fired small laser shots at the biker bot. Annoyed, he diverted his attention to Laserbeak and began to fire. Optimus then let off a powerful blast at Megatron between his main cannons cool down cycle. The tyrant shouted out before falling on his aft and shaking out the cobwebs. Sideways finally realizes what's going on just to be blasted into a tree. Optimus fell to his knees as his servos groaned.  
  
"Kids, any Mini-cons detected here?" Prime asked in the direction of Laserbeak.  
  
"One about 15 clicks due west." Rad exclaimed.  
  
"Thanks for the info suckers!" Starscream cried from behind Prime as he flew off. Megatron rose and smirked.  
  
"Starscream, retrieve it then report back, Thundercracker, Sideways, return to base." Megatron bellowed as he and his minions warped out.  
  
"Slag, I hope Red Alert has better luck than us." Prime muttered.  
  
"Hey our luck isn't too horrible." Jetfire, now limping towards Optimus, exclaimed loudly. "I happened to find one where I fell just before you had the kids scan the area."  
  
Optimus looked up to see an odd looking Mini-con mounted on wheels come towards him. Sparkplug disengaged from Prime and greeted the newcomer.  
  
"Comettor, I haven't seen you in ages!" Sparkplug cried as he embraced Comettor.  
  
"Great to see you too, looks like I was found by the right faction." The space buggy looking Mini-con replied.  
  
"That you were my friend, that you were." Optimus said, looking more cheerful.  
  
"I got a report from Blurr, he and Sideswipe picked up two, but Thrust got one before he and a trashed Demolisher warped out. Thundercracker grabbed one, and from the looks of it Starscream just headed after another. Now we wait for Red Alert's report, should only be one or two left now in this area." Jetfire sighed as he finished his lengthy report.  
  
"That accounts for everyone but Cyclonus, he shouldn't give Red Alert to much trouble, I hope." Prime said as he looked into the horizon. "Once we hear from Red Alert we head back to base."  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Red Alert fired off a few rounds at Cyclonus before ducking under cover. The helicopter was being troublesome as he had the advantage of flight. Cyclonus transformed in midair and had Drill-bit and Crumplezone link up to his arms.  
  
"Eat this Autobot!" Cyclonus cackled as he fired from his left arm, Crumplezone firing in unison with his wrist blaster. Red Alert dodged and fired off his grappling hook, Long-arm already powerlinked. Cyclonus yelled out as his leg got hooked, and started swiping at the rope with Drill-bit, while shooting with Crumplezone. Red Alert took a few shots to the chest as he yanked hard on Cyclonus. He shrieked as he went careening into a tree.  
  
"Stinking..Autobot...you'll.....pay." Cyclonus muttered as he struggled to free himself from the tree. Red Alert took this time to shoot his grappling hook to a Mini-con panel in the rock. The Autobot medic reeled it in and activated it. A white and gray bot with what appeared to be a dune buggy alt mode appeared before him. Cyclonus groaned and warped out, seeing his opportunity missed. The buggy introduced himself as Rollbar and Red Alert went to make his report when a rustling in the trees above startled him. He turned quickly to see a rather large cyborg owl and a green car Mini-con sitting there.  
  
"You fight well Autobot, but it will not be enough to save you from my master." The owl said.  
  
"Who..what are you?" Red Alert said, still not grasping what was going on here.  
  
"Oh yes, a thosand pardons, Prowl: transform!" The owl said as parts shifted and he became a very organic, fairly short Cybertronian.  
  
"You're.a Transformer, I've never seen an organic one before." Red Alert said as he checked Prowl over, "I would think there would be less cybernetics showing in your animal form though."  
  
"A mere side effect of being created and given enhanced powers by my master, nothing too hampering I assure you." Prowl laughed as he observed the now transformed Backtrack and Rollbar conversing. "It seems they know each other."  
  
"Why do you have a Mini-con, you don't seem to be able to link with one." Red Alert said, still checking Prowl over, then realizing what he's been trying to say for the first time. "Wait a second, who's your master, and why do we need saving from him?"  
  
"Ah, Red Alert, you are ever the analytical one, first off, Backtrack is with me for the sole purpose of companionship, and second, my master is the most powerful force in the universe." Prowl said, than added. "He has an insatiable hunger, and he will be arriving soon."  
  
"Why are you telling me this?" Red Alert asked.  
  
"Because master would love to finally get a challenge, he has never had the opportunity to let his opponents have a fighting chance before, so he brings you with a gift." Prowl chortled as he tossed a blue Mini-con panel at Red Alert. The medic caught it and looked it over quickly.  
  
"I'm assuming your master sent us the black Mini-con that has caused us so much trouble, so why should I take this one?" Red Alert said cautiously, and flinched when Prowl laughed loudly.  
  
"You are very perceptive my dear, and sorry if Despair caused you trouble, you should keep the little bugger locked up for awhile, it'll do him some good, and regarding that panel." Prowl pointed to it, "It is one of three Mini-cons required to create the Requiem Blaster. An extremely potent and long range device that may, may, give you a fighting chance."  
  
"This is a lot to take in" Red Alert said as Prowl switched to owl mode.  
  
"Well, master shall be arriving soon, so you had best prepare, come Backtrack!" Prowl yelled as he flew off, the small green car in pursuit. Red Alert watched him fly off until Rollbar rapped on his side. He let Long-arm off of his back after putting his blaster away, and trudged off to meet the others, staring at the panel thoughtfully.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Scavenger had arrived awhile back at Autobot HQ, before the massive Mini-con detection. He was currently updating all their files, with the help from Hot Shot, who was released from confinement once they realized Despair was responsible for his condition, but the young Autobot wasn't taking it to well. He was silently inputting data, Jolt hovering despondently next to him. Scavenger felt uncomfortable, and didn't know whether Hot Shot was quiet because he was depressed, or because he didn't trust Scavenger.  
  
"What's on your mind?" Scavenger asked.  
  
"Why would you care." Hot Shot spat.  
  
"Because, one, I'm an Autobot, and two, you're too hyperactive to be this quiet, even around someone like me." Scavenger said coolly.  
  
"You mean because you're an underhanded turn coat?" Hot Shot asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.  
  
"Fine, if you don't want to get being invaded by an evil Mini-con off your chest, then this 'underhanded turn coat' needs to upload data and will keep his concern to himself." Scavenger snorted as he turned away.  
  
"How do you know about that!?" Hot Shot spouted.  
  
"Being an expert spy has its advantages." Scavenger smirked.  
  
"Have you ever wanted to do something, despite it going against all your morals?" Hot Shot asked.  
  
"I do that every time I go undercover, it's a living." Scavenger responded.  
  
"Well when Despair had me convinced to destroy Sideswipe, I enjoyed, ENJOYED, the fear he showed, that look of utter hopelessness on his face as I went to blow his head off." Hot Shot wailed, sinking to his knees. "I enjoyed it damnit! It went against everything my spark stands for and I loved it!"  
  
"We all have a dark side, we cannot escape it." Scavenger said, seemingly looking off into space. "Sometimes, when I masquerade as a Decepticon, I enjoy the brisk military atmosphere, the large competition amongst the troops, and the brutal efficiency they pull."  
  
"How do you manage, knowing you have to fight against Autobots." Hot Shot said, nearly sobbing.  
  
"It hardens your heart..comes with the job description, but you don't deserve to be a battle hardened grump like me." Scavenger smiled. "Go take a recharge, I'm almost done."  
  
"Alright." Hot Shot said as he began to leave. Jolt landed on his shoulder and hugged his friend's head affectionately.  
  
"It's not your fault you know." Jolt said as Hot Shot gave him a pat.  
  
"You have friends Hot Shot, keep them close." Scavenger called out before turning back to his work. He walked to the next room as a console started beeping quietly. It was a long range space scanner, and something very large was on it.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Megatron stared at the space scanner. He turned to his troops, and gave them a look that demanded answers.  
  
"What in the name of Primus could be so big!" Megatron yelled.  
  
"Well, maybe, uh, a small moon sir." Thrust responded uncertainly.  
  
"Theres no way it could be a moon, they just don't leave another planet's orbit." Thundercracker scoffed.  
  
"Maybe it lost its way, and can't find its way back home!" Cyclonus cackled as everyone gave him and odd look.  
  
"I want to know what that is, and I want to know NOW!" Megatron bellowed. "Starscream, Thundercracker, Thrust, go scout it out, now!"  
  
"Yes mighty Megatron!" Thrust saluted and flew off.  
  
"Yeah, we'll get right on it." Starscream said uncertainly. "Wait up cone- head!"  
  
The jets blasted off as Demolisher stared at the screen and pondered. Cyclonus was still laughing at his own bad joke while Sideways leaned against the wall. Megatron stared thoughtfully for a minute.  
  
"Cyclonus, Demolisher, continue work on project Tidal Wave, I want it finished as soon as possible." Megatron ordered, his voice unusually quiet.  
  
"Yes Megatron." Demolisher said quickly as he grabbed Cyclonus. "Come on, we've got work to do."  
  
"Couldn't find his way home, whahahahahahah!" Cyclonus hobbled along, holding his midsection.  
  
"What do you require of me, mighty Megatron." Sideways said.  
  
"Don't patronize me, do you take me for a fool." Megatron said, staring Sideways down.  
  
"I don't know what you mean sir." Sideways retorted.  
  
"Tell me what the moon is and I may let you live." Megatron ordered.  
  
"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about." Sideways repeated. Megatron then lunged out and grabbed Sideways, slamming him into the wall. Sideways made no move to retaliate. If he didn't have a mouth plate, he would have been smirking.  
  
"Now listen here, I know of all the transmissions you have been making to an unknown source, and all my files you're been hacking into." Megatron continued, holding Sideways off the ground. Sideways chuckled as Megatron's grip grew stronger.  
  
"You really want to know what it is, it's the instrument of your destruction, fool." Sideways chuckled as he stared the tyrant down. "Now if you unhand me, I may let you live."  
  
"How dare you use such a tongue with me, I could destroy you now if I wanted to." Megatron growled.  
  
"But you don't, because if you do you lose your only chance of combating this new threat." Sideways said as Megatron slowly put him down. "That's better."  
  
"Now, tell me what in the name of Primus that thing is!" Megatron, still shouting. If he was human he would have blown a blood vessel.  
  
"It's not a thing, it's a Transformer." Sideways said, pausing to let these words sink in.  
  
"Wha..what!" Megatron stuttered.  
  
"That's right, not only is he a Transformer, but the most powerful one in existence." Sideways continued. "All the Star Sabres in the universe couldn't help you. Some call him 'The Planet Eater'."  
  
"Planet Eater? You mean to tell me this thing can devour whole planets!" Megatron said.  
  
"It can and it has. Many, many civilizations has fallen to his hunger." Sideways said. "He is the lord of destruction...Unicron."  
  
"Unicron! He's only a fable, made to scare children." Megatron said.  
  
"Oh he's very real, and you had better prepare yourself." Sideways said as he began to walk off. "Oh, and one more thing, you had better check on your jets."  
  
"What!" Megatron said with surprise as Sideways transformed and disappeared. "Thrust, Starscream, Thundercracker, come in!"  
  
"Megatron! We're under attack, we need bac...." Thrust's comm went dead.  
  
"Blast it all!" Megatron said, punching the wall as he ran out to the Moon's surface.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
It took Megatron nearly a megacycle to find the jets, and they weren't in that great of shape. Thrust struggled to salute Megatron as he rolled in to the scene in tank mode. Thundercracker leaned on one arm, his right leg bent back. Starscream nursed a broken off right forearm. They were all littered with dents, tears, and holes. Megatron transformed and supported Thrust.  
  
"The.the...ship....out of...danger?" Thrust said as his optics glazed over and he entered stasis lock in Megatron's arms.  
  
"What happened!?" Megatron yelled, hitting his comm to summon Cyclonus and Demolisher, still holding Thrust.  
  
"The fool wouldn't back down, I can't believe he still has all of his limbs." Thundercracker muttered.  
  
"It was awful Megatron, it was a planet, but with sharp spires and, and, lots of plasma cannons, they tore through us like nothing." Starscream spoke, trembling. "I told Thrust to retreat, but he kept attacking, and getting hit, by the time me and 'Cracker got him outa there he was glazed over, spouting off nonsense."  
  
"Come on men, let's get you all to the med bay, I'll take Thrust, and Demolisher and Cyclonus will be here to help you back to base." Megatron said before throwing Thrust over his shoulder and starting back to base, Starscream and Thundercracker talking.  
  
"It's all that fool Sideways' fault, I know it is!" Starscream yelled.  
  
"You wouldn't be talking about me now, would you boys?" Sideways said, coming up behind them fast and transforming.  
  
"You!" Starscream said, turning, unsheathing his sword, and bringing it to Sideways' throat in one fluid motion using his good hand.  
  
"Don't lose your cool 'Screamer." Thundercracker warned.  
  
"It's alright, go ahead Starscream, do it, you know you want to." Sideways coaxed.  
  
"Don't tempt me." Starscream growled.  
  
"Come on, it'll be more fatal if you do it right here." Sideways taunted, exposing and pointing to his throat.  
  
"Don't listen to him Starscream, he's not worth it!" Thundercracker said.  
  
"You're right, he's not." Starscream said, sheathing his sword as he stared down Sideways. "I'm on to you, so watch your back."  
  
"Psh, whatever, just know you can do nothing to stop your utter destruction." Sideways said as he switched to motorcycle mode and drove off. Starscream sighed and sat down on a rock as he waited for Demolisher and Cyclonus.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
"Scavenger!" Rollbar cried as all the Autobots walked into the room.  
  
"Rollbar?" Scavenger said as he turned. Once he saw the Mini-con he broke out in a huge grin. "Little buddy!"  
  
Optimus smiled as the two embraced, talking about old times. Optimus turned and saw Red Alert looking unusually thoughtful. Prime approached the medic as he looked towards him.  
  
"What's troubling you Red Alert?" Prime asked.  
  
"This sir." Red Alert said before bringing the blue Mini-con panel out of subspace.  
  
"A Mini-con panel, you found another?" Prime questioned.  
  
"Well you see, I was given this by an organic Transformer, who said he was working for someone, or something that aims to destroy us all." Red Alert said as Prime gasped, Jetfire and Blurr had also become interested in the tale. "It seems he wants to toy with us first, and said that this Mini-con is one of three that forms the Requiem Blaster."  
  
"I've heard legends about that." Blurr said.  
  
"It's no legend, it's real." Incinerator said from Blurr's shoulder, "Heck, I even knew one of the Mini-cons part of that team, and according to him that gun is more powerful than both the Star Sabre and the Sky Boom."  
  
"No joke?" Jetfire asked, staring at the blue panel. "Well let's wake that sucker up then."  
  
"Well, first we need the other two, and second." Red Alert hesitated, "The Transformer, his name was Prowl, and he seemed to know about Despair as well."  
  
"Ya mean the crazy little hunk of scrap that almost got me killed!?" Sideswipe said, also getting drawn in. "Then let's trash that stinkin panel!"  
  
"No, we don't even know who this Prowl is, and this panel may have been an original." Prime said, placing a hand on Sideswipe's shoulder.  
  
"Optimus, you better come see this!" Smokescreen suddenly called from the console. Prime and the others came over to the screen to see a massive blip on the space scanner.  
  
"What the heck is that!" Sideswipe said. All of a sudden their comm's came to life as Ransack and Sparkplug started talking.  
  
"Uhhh, someone better get down here, to the containment cells." Sparkplug said, shock in his voice.  
  
"That piece of slag almost blew me to pieces, get Prime down here!" Ransack yelled.  
  
"I'm on my way, Sideswipe, Blurr, with me, Smokescreen, keep an eye on that.thing." Optimus ordered as he ran out of the room.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Sideways stared at two golden Mini-con panels set up by Megatron's throne. ~So, the pieces of the Skyboom are coming together, well to bad it won't help them.~ Sideways continued walking until he reached a console. He pulled a data disk out of subspace and popped it in. Multiple schematics scrolled by, the majority looking like members of the Air Defense team. Sideways hit a button, and the word UPLOADING... came on screen. He laughed as the disk popped out and he tossed it into the air, vaporizing it with his wrist blaster. As he turned to leave he heard a small scuttling noise.  
  
"Rook!" Sideways yelled as his omnipresent Mini-con leapt out of the shadows and after the noise. After a few blaster shots fired there was grunting and then Rook brought the antagonist out of the shadows.  
  
"Bonecrusher?" Sideways said as the small military Mini-con was brought out, his large arm bent back and his shorter hand flailing at Rook. "What are you doing here."  
  
"Starscream wanted me to keep tabs on you, he thinks your up to no good, and it looks like he was right." The Mini-con spat as he struggled.  
  
"You really think you can stop me, that laughable short-stop." Sideways laughed as he brought his face down to the Mini-con's level. "Now, what am to do with this potential security leak, hmmm."  
  
"You won't do squat, KNOCK-OUT!" Bonecrusher yelled as Sideways stood up. A missile flew from the shadows and knocked Sideways down. Bonecrusher whirled his arm around and effectively tossed Rook away from him. He then transformed and sped off, a tan missile tank speeding up along side of him.  
  
"That was smooth." Knock-out said as they headed for the med bay.  
  
"Heh, nice save bro." Bonecrusher chuckled as he heard Sideways yell loudly, cursing as he looked about for the two, but they were long gone. "Let's report into 'Screamer, maybe we can get some decent lunch outa him, I heard he pays informants well."  
  
"Yeah really, look at Swindle, he's living the good life." Knock-out commented before the duo sped off.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Prime looked at the molten heap that was Despair's containment cell. Sparkplug shuffled uncomfortably and Ransack paced as Blurr examined the blast damage. Sideswipe let Nightbeat off of his shoulder and picked up a piece of the would be force-field generator.  
  
"What the hell happened to this!" Sideswipe said as he examined it.  
  
"It appears it was blown up." Nightbeat said smartly.  
  
"No one likes a smart-aft." Sideswipe scoffed.  
  
"Do you two know anything about what happened?" Prime said, eyeing Ransack and Sparkplug.  
  
"Well ya see, it kinda goes like this." Ransack trailed off, but Sparkplug shoved him back.  
  
"We have no clue what happened, if SOMEONE hadn't been nodding off on guard duty!" Sparkplug said, shooting Ransack a dirty look. "Someone slagged the camera, and the generator, and decided to scrap about everything else in this room just for giggles."  
  
"Not to mention about killing me in the process." Ransack added quickly.  
  
"Well we haven't detected anyone in the base, and Despair's signal has disappeared from the base, so at least we're safe for now." Prime said, evaluating the situation.  
  
"Still, we're dealing with some serious firepower, not to mention high tech cloaking fields for someone to slip in and trash the base like this." Blurr said, but was quickly cut off by Smokescreen on the comm.  
  
"Prime, we're being hailed by that thing on the space scanner, you better get up here ASAP." Smokescreen said, visibly concerned.  
  
"It's hailing us!? I'll be right there." Prime said as he sighed, it was going to be one of those days.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Megatron surveyed the work Demolisher and Cyclonus had done, Thrust and Demolisher eagerly waiting for Megatron's word. Cyclonus, who had the most medical experience, was patching up Starscream and Thundercracker still. Megatron walked the length of the creation. It was very large, that was for sure and it looked exactly like a massive aircraft carrier. Megatron rapped the side of it before speaking.  
  
"You've done well Demolisher." Megatron said as the tank beamed at his leader's praise. "I trust that you brought the final component from Cybertron, right Thrust?"  
  
"Yes sir, it awaits your order to be implanted, and I have it in a location that not even you know of mighty Megatron." Thrust, who was patched up from his previous encounter.  
  
"Excellent, it appears we are ready to start the final." Megatron was cut off by his comm going off.  
  
"Master, we are receiving a strange signal, from that planet." Leader-1 reported.  
  
"Excellent, he finally reveals himself." Megatron said. "Come, let us head to the control room."  
  
"I must warn you Megatron, that this, this, planet is not to be trifled with, it possess great power." Thrust advised.  
  
"Well if it is so great, Megatron will just take it!" Demolisher told Thrust.  
  
"Fool, this isn't something that can be controlled, let alone attacked by our forces, I doubt that even the Star Sabre itself could damage this thing!" Thrust retorted.  
  
"That's enough you two, come on." Megatron ordered. He was responded by two "yes sirs" and they quickly caught up to him.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Optimus got to the control room as he saw Smokescreen, Scavenger, and Red Alert working the consoles. Hot Shot and Jolt had just entered the room, and was talking with Jetfire. Optimus walked up to the center of the room, Blurr, Sideswipe and their Mini-cons, including Sparkplug and Ransack, entered the room.  
  
"Patch it through to the big screen." Prime said.  
  
"There's no visual, but we'll try." Red Alert said.  
  
"I'll try to bring up the thing that's up there on visual." Smokescreen replied.  
  
"It's patched through." Scavenger reported.  
  
"Attention Autobots. You are cordially invited to a conference with Master Unicron. If you do not attend the pitiful inhabitants of earth will pay the price, come to the coordinates that are uploading now." The voice boomed before a massive planet came onscreen. It was completely mechanical with massive spires and a ring encompassing it.  
  
"Unicron!?" Scavenger gasped. "I thought he was only a myth."  
  
"So did I." Prime trailed off.  
  
"Got the coordinates, want me to set the warp gate up?" Smokescreen replied.  
  
"Yes..but I only want Jetfire, Blurr, and Hot Shot with me, to large a group could be to difficult to move out in a hurry." Prime said slowly.  
  
"Right, if this guy has anything to do with Despair I want proper reparations." Hot Shot said, a menacing look in his eyes.  
  
"I think we had better leave the Mini-cons here, we wouldn't want any of them to get left behind." Jetfire suggested.  
  
"He's right, anyway, as far as we know this is a peaceful meeting." Blurr said.  
  
"Alright then, let's roll out Autobots, to the warp room." Prime said as the four headed down.  
  
"I just hope this isn't a mistake." Red Alert said.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Megatron growled. He had just heard a slight variation of the same message the Autobots had received. He heard Sideways chuckle as he entered the room.  
  
"Thrust, Demolisher, head to the warp room, leave your Mini-cons, Leader-1, accompany them." Megatron quickly ordered as the two Decepticons and the Mini-con left the room. Megatron played with the grip on the Star Sabre as Sideways faced him.  
  
"So are you taking up master Unicron's request?" Sideways inquired.  
  
"Yes, despite knowing that his promise of power is a bald-faced lie, I will go if not to show him who the true master of the universe is. And you will be coming along as well, I will not have you back here sowing disorder, I will keep you in my sight, yesss." Megatron hissed as Sideways chuckled again.  
  
"Whatever you say, sir." Sideways said sarcastically before calling Rook to his side from nowhere and heading to the warp chamber.  
  
"Time to make myself known." Megatron muttered as he gripped the Star Sabre hard and walked to the transport room.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
When the Autobots exited warp, they were standing on a catwalk on the side of the planet that faced the earth. While this planet wasn't as big as earth, or even the moon, it was very large in scale to the Autobots. You could perhaps call it a massive space station. Spires and all other sorts of gears stuck out all over the place, it was almost if it was alive.  
  
"I'm getting a weird vibe from this place." Hot Shot said uneasily.  
  
"Same here, this place just seems too surreal, even for a transforming robot." Jetfire said, scanning the area.  
  
"We've got company." Blurr said as a group of four yellow robots came out of the side of the planet.  
  
"Stay calm, they appear to be..Autobots?" Prime said, relived at first to see the Autobot insignia on these bots, then when he realized that there shouldn't be any Autobots here he felt confused.  
  
"Yes, we are Autobots." The lead, shortest bot called out. "But we are under the service of master Unicron."  
  
"Why are you serving Unicron?" Prime asked out, "and where is Unicron at?"  
  
"All will be revealed in time." One of the medium sized bots with a black visor on his face said as his comrades laughed at Prime's last comment. "Now if you'll just follow us."  
  
Optimus and the other's exchanged uneasy glances before following the other four bots. They were lead into a room that looked a lot like a board room. Sitting at the table was an organic Transformer. Optimus immediately remembered Red Alert's description and knew it was Prowl, Backtrack at his side.  
  
"I hope Scrapper and his gang didn't give you to much trouble Optimus." Prowl said, eyeing the short yellow bot.  
  
"Hey, we handled them just fine." Scrapper said.  
  
"Well for one you never introduced yourself to the Autobot leader. You're Autobots too, I'd think you had more respect." Prowl chastised.  
  
"Meh." Scrapper said as he motioned his men forwards. "I'm Scrapper, leader of the NeoConstructicons."  
  
"NeoConstructicons?" Blurr queried.  
  
"We're devoted to upholding the great architecture built by the Constructicons after the Great War, Unicron has promised we would be his main building crew for his new civilization." Scrapper finished.  
  
"The Constructicons are our namesakes." The tallest one, with a backhoe on his back said. "I'm called Long Haul."  
  
"I'm Hook." Said the one with the visor.  
  
"And I'm Mixmaster." The other medium one with a red visor and what looked like ear phones on.  
  
"Together we are, the NeoConstructicons!" Scrapper said, the whole team hitting a dynamic pose.  
  
"Why would Autobots base themselves after a group of Decepticons?" Hot Shot asked.  
  
"That's because unlike yourselves they have seen between the black and white into the shades of grey." A ghostly voice behind them spoke.  
  
As one the Autobots turned and all shouted "DESPAIR!"  
  
"Why I'm going to." Hot Shot muttered as he held himself back.  
  
"I don't see why you are angry Hot Shot, I only attempted to let you see between the factions and propaganda." Despair spoke.  
  
"You almost made me kill Sideswipe, I don't care how idiotic he is." Hot Shot was fuming. "Nothing is worth a comrades life!"  
  
"Would everyone calm down and sit?" Backtrack suggested.  
  
"A superb idea my vertically challenged companion!" Prowl said as he took his seat. "My master will be with you shortly, but I'm afraid another party had an appointment with him first."  
  
"And who would that be?" Prime asked.  
  
"The Decepticons no doubt. Our own Decepticons are seeing him now." Scrapper said.  
  
"You guys have Decepticons with you too!" Jetfire said, surprised.  
  
"I have said before that all of us here have seen through the black and white. Faction symbols mean nothing here." Despair said.  
  
"It is master Unicron's goal to unite all people in the universe under one group." Mixmaster said.  
  
"If this is such a democracy then why must you call Unicron 'master'?" Blurr stated.  
  
"Because, that is what he is." Hook said, "We avoid rank also, it is meaningless."  
  
"This is all very interesting, I am very eager to converse with your master." Prime said, sounding as courteous as possible, but inside he was appalled and amazed at the same time. ~Decepticons and Autobots working together, and treating Mini-cons as complete equals at the same time..I never thought it was possible.~ Optimus thought.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
The Decepticons warped into their coordinates, which took them to a catwalk surrounding the planet. Looking off into space, the Moon is seen. Megatron scanned the area and found the catwalk led to a hatch in the side of the planet. Three bots stood by the door. One was organic, with insectiod parts hanging off of him, wings on his back, and reverse joint legs. The smallest had a jet fighter cockpit folded over his chest, and was wielding two large one-hand rifles. The largest had a stealth fighter jet cockpit folded over for a chest and a large gattling gun mounted on his shoulder. Thrust and Demolisher exchanged looks before flanking Megatron, Sideways stood off to the side. Megatron walked up and addressed the bots.  
  
"Identify yourselves." The Decepticon leader ordered.  
  
"Ah, master Unicron has been expecting you." The insect Transformer said. "I am known as Scourge, and my cohorts here are Dreadwind and Smokejumper."  
  
"Really, well I suppose you are here to take me to your master, so get on with it." Megatron said, voice dangerously cold.  
  
"Come one, move it you big lug!" Smokejumper, the smaller of the jets, said.  
  
"I'm going, I'm going. It's not as if master Unicron is going anywhere or something like that." Dreadwind snickered as he opened the hatch.  
  
"I don't like this one bit." Demolisher said to Thrust aside.  
  
"Neither do I, but we must be ready to aide Megatron if anything goes awry." Thrust replied as they entered a large, very gold colored room. A long table was set up with a view screen at the end and chairs surrounding it. A Mini-con stood by the chairs, pulling them out, indicating where the Decepticons should sit.  
  
"Dead End shall show you to your seats." Scourge said as the Decepticons took seats, Sideways putting his feet up and leaning back as Megatron glared.  
  
"So when will I be talking to 'master' Unicron." Megatron asked.  
  
"You are now." A voice boomed, seemingly all around them. Thrust stood and swung his arm guns around randomly as Megaton gripped the Star Sabre tightly.  
  
"Show yourself!" Thrust demanded.  
  
"You can see my just fine, in fact you are standing inside of me now." The voice said matter of factly.  
  
"What!?" Thrust said, confused.  
  
"You mean to tell me this whole thing is Unicron!?" Demolisher asked rhetorically.  
  
"That's right, master Unicron has played you all for fools." Sideways chuckled as he stood. The remaining Decepticons cried out as force fields enveloped their chairs. Megatron dove out of the way but Thrust and Demolisher were trapped.  
  
"You treacherous piece of scrap!" Megatron said as he brandished the Star Sabre. "Leader-1, powerlink!"  
  
"Destroy them, and end their annoying lives!" Unicron ordered as Megatron linked with his Mini-con.  
  
"Eat laser!" Dreadwind yelled as he and Smokejumper opened fire. Megatron deflected it with the Star Sabre and fired on them, blowing Dreadwind into a wall with his powered up cannon. Smokejumper kept firing on him as Scourge came up behind him with his pain stick. Megatron blasted Smokejumper away before crying out from Scourge's attack. The tyrant quickly swung back and slashed Scourge down the chest diagonally with the Star Sabre. The insect whimpered before collapsing. Dead End had left, Thrust and Demolisher were attacking their prisons, and Sideways stood, clapping for Megatron.  
  
"You're next, Sideways." Megatron growled.  
  
"Bring it on!" Sideways said before shooting at the Decepticon commander. Megatron charged him, deflecting the shots. Sideways dodged easily as he swung, responding with laser fire. Megatron cried out, his back smoking from the attack. He then returned fire as Sideways' continued to dodge.  
  
"You'll have to do better than that." Sideways said.  
  
"You haven't seen anything yet." Megatron said. "ALL ATTACK MODE!"  
  
Sideways gasped as Megatron's horns flew out and grabbed Sideways by the neck, while his cannon section swung forward. Megatron fired, Sideways being held in place as the torrent of lasers tore him apart. Rook, appearing out of nowhere tore the Star Sabre from Megatron, who kicked the Mini-con, sending the Star Sabre to where Thrust and Demolisher were being held. When Megatron stopped firing, only a portion of Sideways' chest remained, along with a charred Crosswise. Megatron released the scrap before smiling.  
  
"It appears you have paid for your crimes, Sideways." Megatron said triumphantly.  
  
"You can never destroy me Megatron!" The voice of Sideways called out at Megatron looked at the wreckage. It had turned into multiple nanites and reformed before Megatron's eyes. The tyrant could only stare in horror as Sideways now stood before him, without a scratch on him.  
  
"By the pit!" Thrust cried from his prison. "We must help Megatron."  
  
"But we're trapped!" Demolisher said.  
  
"Keep trying to blast it." Thrust said before firing.  
  
"I'll kill you!" Megatron screamed as he charged with his horns, right into a massive generator as Sideways dodged. Megatron screamed as the lights in the room flickered. Unicron groaned as Dead End appeared from nowhere as started to pry the spasming tyrant from the generator.  
  
"AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGHHHHHH!" Megatron yelled as Dead End's small cannon shot him in the gut and he went flying, energy surging through him, the force of it all shooting him out. He blasted through the wall and disappeared.  
  
"MEGATRON!" Thrust wailed as the force field went down due to lack of power. The now enraged tactician fired wildly, blasting Sideways and Dead End as Demolisher grabbed the Star Sabre. The tank ran to Thrust and slapped him.  
  
"Stop it, you'll get us all killed, we have to retreat!" Demolisher said before shoving the Star Sabre into Thrust's hands. Thrust stared at Demolisher quizzically before taking it.  
  
"You are the one Megatron would want to command in his absence." Demolisher said flatly.  
  
"But...fine, let us get out of here, into warp range." Thrust said as Demolisher blew open the hatch. They ran out on the catwalk to see something collide with the Moon . They both bowed their heads before warping off of the base. Sideways walked out, smiling at the Moon's newest crater.  
  
"Rest in pieces, Megatron." Sideways said as he switched to his Autobot head and warped out.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Optimus looked up as the lights flickered. The NeoConstructicons looked slightly concerned as a groaning noise emmited from the building.  
  
"What the heck?" Hot Shot said. "It sounds like the whole place was in pain."  
  
"That's pretty odd for a inanimate object." Blurr said as he and Jetfire stood, drawing their weapons.  
  
"So you've figured it out." A voice sounded from all around them.  
  
"What's going on?" Prime said.  
  
"It appears Megatron's reign of terror has been terminated, meaning there is one thing standing in the way of my rule....YOU!" The voice cried as the NeoConstructicons all stood and drew their weapons. From a hatch in the side of the room Dreadwind and Smokejumper appeared as Prowl and Backtrack quickly left. Despair charged an energy ball in his hands as the Autobots stood.  
  
"IT'S A TRAP!" Prime yelled as he fired at Scrapper and Hook, taking cover behind the table. Despair flung the ball at Hot Shot as he dodged to the side and pulled out his pistol, returning fire. Blurr pumped a few rounds into Smokejumper as Dreadwind fired his gattling gun, knocking one of Blurr's rifles from his hand. Blurr cried out as he rolled behind a chair and nailed Dreadwind in the head with one shot. The Decepticon went down as Mixmaster came up behind him and put him in a massive bear hug, crushing his armor. Blurr went offline as Jetfire shot Mixmaster in the back after bludgeoning Long Haul with his shield. Hook and Scrapper kept Prime pinned as Despair and Hot Shot traded fire.  
  
"I think it's time to get serious Prime!" Jetfire called out.  
  
"I agree, COMBINE!" Prime called out as Jetfire tossed his shield onto Optimus's back, followed by his cannon. Prime boosted into the air with the cannon as he transformed into the Super Optimus Prime torso. Jetfire flew up and shifted into legs as Prime landed on top of him. "TOGETHER WE ARE, JET CONVOY!"  
  
"Ha! Let's show him how its done boys, NeoConstructicons, COMBINE!" Jet Convoy gasped as Mixmaster and Hook went to vehicle mode and their front tires and other small clamps came out and pushed them upright as they stretched out their legs and a combination triangle came up from each and connected, forming two thirds of the triangle. Long Haul leapt up and turned horizontal as his legs came down and formed shoulders and arms. His arms and head folded like in vehicle mode and the last part of the triangle came down and linked. Scrapper jumped up and switched to vehicle mode, except his shovel blades went the opposite direction as the key piece came out if his back and he linked to the middle of the triangle. Snapping sounds were heard as everything linked into place and a head came up out of the chest, eyes and the Autobot symbol lighting up as he cried : "DEVASTATOR HAS ARISEN!"  
  
"They can combine!" Hot Shot shouted, staring at the two gestalts. Devastator fired Hook's rifle at Jet Convoy as he flew up and fired with Jetfire's plasma cannon. Devastator blocked with Mixmaster's dump claw and jumped up, swinging with Long Haul's backhoe on his back at the giant Autobot. Jet Convoy was clipped in the leg and landed, punching Devastator in the face. Despair had begun to pummel Hot Shot's head with energy blasts, and Hot Shot threw the Mini-con from off of his head before collapsing. Jet Convoy saw Hot Shot fall and blasted Devastator in the chest before grabbing the fallen forms of Hot Shot and Blurr. Jet Convoy kicked down the hatch and flew back toward earth, comrades in tow. Prowl flew onto the catwalk as Scourge and Despair joined him. Scourge limped and Despair flew sort of shakily.  
  
"We never anticipated them to be so strong." Prowl said as he watch Jet Convoy fly into the distance.  
  
"Well Megatron has been terminated, so the Decepticons should now fall to pieces." Scourge said.  
  
"Don't be so sure, they are more resourceful than one could imagine." Despair said, "We need more resources to finish them, once master Unicron can activate fully, then they shall feel our wrath."  
  
"My minions!" Unicron called, restoring his main power generator. "I have dispatched Sideways to deal with the Autobots, and my newest creation shall be the finisher of the Decepticons."  
  
"What would that be, master Unicron." Devastator said as he recovered.  
  
"All in due time my minion, now take Dreadwind and Smokejumper to the regeneration chambers and repair yourselves, we shall destroy them yet." Unicron commanded as they all bowed and began to head for the repair bay, Devastator slinging the jet duo over his shoulder. As they left, three purple Mini-con panels came out of the ground and began to glow.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Gunbarrel flew over the surface of the Moon, running his patrol that had been assigned. The Mini-con paid no notice to the smoking crater as he flew by. As he disappeared into the distance, Leader-1 crawled out of the crater. But this was no longer Leader-1, as his colors were now purple, white, and black. The Mini-con wobbled as a clawed hand grasped the side of the crater and a pair of blood red eyes stared out of the smoke.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
Good lord, 16 pages in Microsoft word, and it looks like more character intros. Scourge is the Transmetal 2 Locust toy from the beast wars era, Dreadwind and Smokejumper are the new Robots in Disguise set, and the NeoConstructicons are the yellow Landfill repaint team. Wedge = Scrapper, Grimlock = Long Haul, Hightower = Hook, and Heavy Load = Mixmaster. I would have named Mixmaster Bonecrusher instead by realized their was a Mini- con named that O_o. Landfill is obviously Devastator, but Devastator appears as the yellow Landfill does in his custom box art. (Blades up instead of out, legs having all their toe or finger pieces out, legs stretched.) Dead End is from what I've heard the confirmed name of Unicron's Mini-con. So did anyone else love Detection, and Awakening, I did, and be warned that Tidal Wave shall have a different origin in this than the show, Sideways owns, but I think my Sideways "Death" scene was cooler, wouldn't that be an awesome way for Megatron to attack (the horn thing was in Swoop). So anways, I hope everyone enjoys, reads, and reviews and I'll try to get the next one up faster. Next time, Thrust is confused, the Decepticon's moral is now low, and the Autobots are gearing up to strike Unicron's forces when they find..Sideways? And is Megatron dead, we'll have to see :D 


	6. Requiem for a Tyrant

To lazy to do disclaimer.you know what it is!  
  
Sorry for the lack of updates, been busy with the end of the school year and what not, plus had to think up the ideas and get inspiration and so forth. Hope you all enjoy!  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Thrust rolled the handle of the Star Sabre in his hand, deep in thought. He sat on the throne in the Decepticon base, not because he wanted to, because he was expected to. It had barely been a solar cycle since Megatron had presumably been destroyed. Thrust's expectation of the Decepticons was to have a massive battle for leadership, but in a shocking twist, it was a unanimous vote for him to become leader. Demolisher and Starscream had actually been the first to declare the mantle of leadership to be passed onto him, the Star Sabre acting as a sort of symbol of leadership now to the Decepticons. Thrust yelled out loud, and tossed the Sabre into the air. The Mini-cons broke into their component parts as Thrust kicked a piece of scrap out of his way. It had been a great while since Thrust had felt this frustrated. He didn't want to lead! He was an advisor, he couldn't take the responsibility of all these Decepticon's lives! He always had the safety cushion of being merely an advisor to fall back on if something drastic happened. Not only that, but the Decepticons were now at the largest disadvantage due to Sideways' treachery, Megatron's demise, and the appearance of Unicron and his army. His troops now numbered five, while the Autobots number was eight, and Unicron had come with a contingent of now nine, not including Mini-cons on each side. Thrust's thoughts began to drift now. Sideways. What in the name of Primus is he? He had seemed like any other soldier, with the exception of being hopelessly treacherous. Now, it is discovered that he is a Headmaster style Transformer, a design that has not been utilized in centuries, but he is also built of nanites or something of the sort. The way he reformed after Megatron tore him to pieces, that vision haunted Thrust, ingrained into his optics, every time he shut them, he saw that wretched scene. He silently vowed he would find someway to destroy that traitor for what he had done.  
  
Thrust shifted his gaze to the three kneeling forms in front of him. The Mini-cons. Their purpose in life is to link to Cybertronians, boosting their power and weapons by tenfold. Some Mini-cons could transform into weapons, granting the one who wielded them great power. There appeared to be three classes. The first was the power class. It's alternate mode was usually a speedy land or air mode that could be used to quickly link with it's partner and grant the increased speed and power. Second was the weapon type. The alternate mode for a weapon type usually was a military vehicle or a triple changer that could shift into a gun or melee weapon. The third was the combiner type, which created a weapon of mass destruction and power. But something didn't make sense. If Mini-cons were the source of power that could allow you to rule the universe, then why hadn't the Decepticons beaten the Autobots? The Autobot's obviously didn't use the Mini-cons to their fullest potential, caring more about not letting them come to harm then to use them to their advantage. But the Decepticons used the Mini-cons every chance they had gotten. They had used all the types effectively, and usually used all at once, so what was going wrong!? Thrust shouted out again as the Air Defense Team kept kneeling, not even flinching. Thrust sat back down and continued brooding as he idly rubbed his cone shaped head.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Blurr ducked as he dodged fire from the NeoConstructicons. It seemed Unicron needed some raw energy, and all his forces were making a run. Blurr nodded to Hot Shot before leaping up and strafing, firing in the NeoConstructicon's general direction. Scrapper and Hook scattered and returned fire as Long Haul kept loading into Mixmaster's back. Hot Shot leapt up and fired with his back cannon, Jolt already powerlinked.  
  
"Hey constructifreaks, eat hot laser!" Hot Shot yelled out as he let loose a massive blast, knocking straight into Long Haul, who transformed to robot mode involuntarily before landing in a heap.  
  
"Dreadwind, Smokejumper, we need backup!" Scrapper yelled into his comm.  
  
"Little busy now shorty!" Dreadwind replied quickly. Explosions cut off the curses that Scrapper shouted over the comm from the insult. Jetfire was chasing down both of them, and it was getting on Dreadwind's nerves. Jetfire whooped loudly as he shot Smokejumper in the aft end, making the much smaller bot wail.  
  
"Help me out Dreadwind!!!!" The smaller jet yelled as he began to plummet. Dreadwind dove down and linked with his earth-bound partner as his gattling gun flipped forward. He turned about in mid air and began letting bullets fly in Jetfire's direction. Jetfire cried out before transforming and dropping, letting loose a few plasma rounds before actually directing his flight path again. Dreadwind was hit in the wing and landed hard in his tank mode, Smokejumper transforming and sliding off his back woozily.  
  
"My achin head..." Smokejumper said as he pulled out his gun and fired at Scavenger. The shot's grazed the behemoth bot as he ran up to him and began to pummel him senseless. Smokejumper gurgled as Scavenger grabbed his throat by one hand and tossed him aside absentmindedly before transforming and running down the now recovering Long Haul. Hot Shot was offline due to Scrapper and Hook double teaming him, and Blurr was trying to chase down Mixmaster, who was trying to escape with what cargo he had. Smokescreen picked off Scrapper with his cannon before being picked off himself by Hook's pulse rifle. Scourge flew in and tackled Blurr as Dreadwind grappled with Jetfire. Scavenger continued to pummel Long Haul and Smokejumper as Prowl appeared, leading Mixmaster to the warp gate. With a quick photon burst from his wings, Prowl lead the Unicron faction retreat as the stragglers tried to distract the Autobots and gather their fallen comrades at the same time. Meanwhile, Optimus Prime was struggling to keep Despair from the Mini-con panel that was discovered there.  
  
"I won't let you have it!" Prime shouted as he fired a salvo from his wrists.  
  
"You only wish to bend it to your will, to have it aid you in your endeavors." Despair said in it's ghostly monotone. "I wish to free it, and let it see between the propaganda."  
  
"Lies, you only wish to power up your master with it!" Prime shouted back. "We're trying to free them!"  
  
"Believe what you wish." Despair said deadpan as it let loose multiple energy balls. Prime dodged them and let loose a few blasts of his own, his hands clasped and wrist cannons smoking. Despair swung aside before realizing his comrades were retreating, and switched to stealth bomber mode and sped off as well. Prime stared for a second before grabbing the panel, and laying it out to activate it. A light shot up and a rather burly light green Mini-con stood before Prime, a solid blue visor staring up at him.  
  
"Howdy!" The Mini-con said energetically. "Name's Dunerunner, who're you?"  
  
"Welcome Dunerunner, I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots." Prime said warmly before kneeling and extending his hand to Dunerunner. Dunerunner took Prime's larger hand with both his and began shaking it wildly. Prime sent Dunerunner to Blurr and Hot Shot as he saw Scavenger approaching, leading a familiar purple and yellow lithe Transformer. Scavenger spoke quickly before Prime realized who it was.  
  
"He said he only wishes to talk." Scavenger said as he moved aside and Prime fully recognized who stood before him. The bot could only chuckle as Prime yelled out.  
  
"Sideways!"  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
"It has to be in the Mini-cons! That's where our victory lies!" Thrust shouted out loud, speaking to no one, the throne room was empty save the three Air Defense Mini-cons. "You, Jetstorm, come here."  
  
Jetstorm came forward after Thrust pointed to him. Thrust had him turn around and exposed his circuitry to him. Thrust hesitated for a second, then took out the emotion controller, leaving in the loyalty chip for precautions. Jetstorm's optics flickered for a moment before shining more brightly than they had in awhile. He put a hand to his head and shook out the cobwebs.  
  
"What.where am I?" Jetstorm muttered, feeling like he had been run over.  
  
"You are in the Decepticon base, under my command." Thrust replied to the Mini-con. Jetstorm instinctively whirred around and brought his small wrist lasers to bear on Thrust. "Oh please, you couldn't if you wanted to, now can we be civil and talk this out or shall I make you a mindless drone again?"  
  
"Uh....well you put it that way." Jetstorm lowered his arms and peered up at the larger robot. "So, why am I able to have clear thought? You're a Decepticon, yet you are letting me think, what's the catch?"  
  
"My aren't we stereotyping a bit. I have brought your thought back, because I've been thinking, and I need to ask a Mini-con this question, no one else can answer." Thrust said thoughtfully as he kneeled next to the Air Defense commander, who jumped involuntarily. "What makes a Mini-con special?"  
  
"What? That's what you want to ask me?" Jetstorm almost chuckled at the sound of the question until he saw Thrust's optics, full of curiosity and sincerity, something he rarely saw in a Decepticon. "What makes us special, don't you already know, I'd assume you would after seeing you all fight to your death's over us."  
  
"At first I thought it was your ability to link and boost a Transformer's power, or combine into weapons, but after battling and seeing nothing come out of it, I feel as if I have been lead astray, there must be something else." Thrust responded, causing Jetstorm to blink in surprise.  
  
"Never heard something that deep from a 'Con before." Jetstorm said as he thought for a moment. "Why should I help you anyway, you'll just make me mindless again and use me, I see no reason to help you."  
  
"Maybe I started this conversation wrong..what do you desire, what do you believe in, do you support any causes?" Thrust questioned.  
  
"What do I believe in? What do I believe, what do I desire!? FREEDOM!" Jetstorm shouted at Thrust, who was taken aback, but not surprised.  
  
"So you would rather be turned over to the Autobots?" Thrust said.  
  
"Hell no! They're just as bad as you all, except they sugar coat it with bull slag! I want to be away from all of you, treated as an equal, not as a weapon!" Jetstorm went on, throwing his arms in the air.  
  
"Well if Mini-cons are as powerful as they are thought to be, then, why do you not rise up, I'm sure you could pull together the numbers to do so." Thrust retorted, still probing the Mini-con for reactions.  
  
"Pfft, because some of us side with the Decepticons, buying into their crap about giving us power and fortune after the war, or the Autobots slag about wanting to 'free' us, and that they treat us as equals. To many of us are too stupid to realize you all are filthy slag-suckers!" Jetstorm spat, crossing his arms. "I hate you all."  
  
"As you know, I could never could let you go, you are to big of a strategic advantage, sentient or not, but, if you help me prove a theory I have, I will grant you equality in my army with all our other troops." Thrust said, staring into Jetstorm's optics.  
  
"Let me speak with my team..disable their emotion bonds." Jetstorm demanded, somewhat hesitantly.  
  
"Very well, come here Runway, Sonar." Thrust beckoned as the two approached him and he took out their locks. The two's optics flickered before coming back to reality.  
  
"Huh? Jetstorm, Runway? What's going on?" Sonar asked. Runway shrugged as Jetstorm turned back to Thrust.  
  
"What are the conditions of your offer?" Jetstorm asked.  
  
"I will disable all of your locks except the failsafe, which will destroy you if you try to betray us, other than that you will have complete free will and actions, and you will be respected." Thrust said.  
  
"What guarantee do we have that you will respect us?" Jetstorm said.  
  
"I already respect you, or I wouldn't be giving you this decision, and as for the rest of the Decepticons, if you pull off my test, they will be to afraid to do anything but." Thrust said. If he had a mouth he would smirk.  
  
"And the rest of the Mini-cons under your command?" Sonar asked.  
  
"They shall also be given this option, and if they accept the terms they shall be freed of their bonds." The Tactician replied as the Air Defense team huddled. After a cycle, they broke and faced Thrust.  
  
"We'll do it, just for the fact that we hate you all, Autobots included, and we'd prefer to do property damage as equals over mindlessness." Jetstorm replied as Thrust chuckled and lead them outside, before going to find the rest of the Decepticons and Mini-cons.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
"What is this?" Prime said, palming the blue Mini-con panel in his hand before looking up at Sideways.  
  
"It's part of the Requiem Blaster, it's, shall I say, a peace offering." Sideways said, leaning against a tree, arms crossed.  
  
"A peace offering, why?" Prime asked, confused.  
  
"Simple, I'm joining you guys." Sideways said bluntly as Crosswise jumped off his head and Rook jumped up onto it, causing the Decepticon symbol to flash red, and be replaced by an Autobot one.  
  
"What!" Prime said, astonished. "I thought you were a Decepticon."  
  
"I was playing double agent, getting all the info I need, now its time to reveal myself." Sideways said, "Besides, I found out what Unicron is after here on earth."  
  
"You did? What is he after?"  
  
"You ever hear of the Zodiac Mini-cons?"  
  
"The what!?"  
  
"Twelve Mini-cons, Unicron requires them to transform, they are scattered in ruins across the world, named after the twelve Zodiac symbols."  
  
"Why would someone as powerful as Unicron require Mini-cons to transform?"  
  
"I don't know that far into it, all I know is that if he gets them, you guys are goners." Sideways chuckled. "And I might just know how to get to them too, but if you don't want my help, I'm sure the Decepticons wouldn't mind this little bit of info."  
  
"No, alright, you may join, but be warned, guards will watch you constantly, you'll have to understand that we can't trust you completely." Prime said, rejoining the rest of the Autobots.  
  
"You're letting him join!" Hot Shot cried out, trying to get up and lunge, but couldn't due to his injuries.  
  
"He has valuable information for us, and any extra manpower is welcome." Prime said sternly. Hot Shot tried to protest, but Blurr punched Hot Shot in the back of the head, knocking him out. Prime gave Blurr an incriminating glare as Sideways chuckled.  
  
"He was getting on my nerves, damned hothead." Blurr said with a shrug.  
  
"Are we going to go back to base and work on what information we have or not?" Scavenger said, looking incredibly bored.  
  
"Yeah, lets go already, the dreary landscape is getting to me." Jetfire complained as Prime gave the signal to warp back.  
  
"I hope this isn't a mistake." Optimus said as the white glow encompassed his body, and the warped him.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Inside of Unicron, Dead End is sitting in a dark, vacant room, awaiting his master's command. The only thing that lights the room is the faint purple glow of three Mini-con panels.  
  
"Dead End, install the specifications for each Mini-con now." The omnipresent voice boomed as the Mini-con flitted from panel to control pad, downloading the required information. "Once again Sideways has served me well..arise my servants!"  
  
On Unicron's command, the panels glowed brightly with life as the three Mini-cons emerged from the light. These Mini-cons looked exactly like the Air Defense team, yet colored differently. The one modeled after Jetstorm was mainly white, with gold optics, purple trim and chest, and black legs. Runway's lookalike was white with gold trim and optics, and black legs, arms, and head. Sonar's doppelganger was nearly all black, sporting a gold chest and optics, and much purple trim, his upper legs and the handle for the sabre was white. They all kneeled and waited.  
  
"Excellent...go now, Maelstrom, Slipstream, and Sensor, go and destroy the Decepticons!" Unicron commanded and laughed as the three switched into sleek jets and headed for the moon.  
  
"Are you sure they can handle this sire?" Dead End queried.  
  
"Very sure, my humble servant." Unicron answered.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Cyclonus peered around. His optics shifted to and fro, analyzing his opponents. He was a veteran of this situation, and was prepared to win at any cost, despite the amount of foes that wanted to take him down. His fingers twitched anxiously as he peered into each bot's optics, his train of thought broken by a sudden shout.  
  
"Are you going to play or what?" Thundercracker said, tossing an energon chip at his head.  
  
"Alright, fine, fine!" Cyclonus cried out, waving his hand in the air. "I fold!"  
  
"I just got some serious déjà vu." Crumplezone muttered.  
  
"Same here." Bonecrusher spat as he tossed down his cards. "I'm out."  
  
Crumplezone, Drill-bit, Black-out, and Buzz-saw nodded in agreement and dropped their cards. Knock-out and Demolisher revealed sub-par hands, while Thundercracker revealed a straight.  
  
"Beat that!" Thundercracker announced as he slapped his cards down. Starscream grumbled and tossed his cards aside. Swindle chuckled then put down his hand as everyone gaped.  
  
"Royal flush, suckers." The Mini-con commented smugly. Thundercracker scanned the area as he heard a chuckle from under the table. Swindle started scooping up credits as everyone complained audibly, except Thundercracker. He had his wing sword's handle come out and in one fluid motion activated the sword in blue light and sliced the table in two, cards, causing Decepticons, Mini-cons, and credits to scatter about. Thundercracker thrust his hand into the rubble to pull Zapmaster out of it, still clinging multiple fake cards. Swindle backed away as the other bot's glared at him.  
  
"Well..look at the time, I'll have to be going now." He said nervously before turning around right into Starscream.  
  
"Well Swindle, living up to your name I see." Starscream said as he glared, picking up the Mini-con and shaking the credits away from him. "You do know some of us are trying to have an honest game?"  
  
"Sorry boss, but ya know, I got five kids to feed and all that." Swindle said before being knocked out by Starscream.  
  
"Well there goes another perfectly good table." Cyclonus sighed as he picked up the cards. "Did you have to be so destructive Thundercracker?"  
  
"Eh, I thought it would scare these two into not doing something like that again." The blue seeker shrugged before tossing the hysteric Zapmaster aside. "Seemed to work on him, I think Swindle is to much like 'Screamer to change though."  
  
"Funny..so anyone got any word on Thrust's master plan?" Starscream asked.  
  
"Nope, he's been brooding ever since Megatron's destruction." Demolisher said solemnly.  
  
"Pfft, figures, so we sit in the dark like usual." Starscream scoffed, "Well gentlemen, I have news for you, this sucks."  
  
"Hah! That, being news? Thanks for the flash 'Screamer, but we knew that a long time ago." Cyclonus chuckled. "If we don't do some sorta raid soon, we're gonna be in the hole for supplies."  
  
"Not to mention our own Mini-cons are robbing us blind." Thundercracker said, smirking as he shook Zapmaster some more, credits and energon falling out of his subspace pockets. Thundercracker dropped Zapmaster and absentmindedly popped an energon chip into his mouth before taking a seat around the ruins of the table. Demolisher joined him as Starscream and Cyclonus started to leave.  
  
"Where are you guys going?" Demolisher asked.  
  
"To talk to Thrust, fix up the Mini-cons or something while we're gone." Starscream said bluntly as Cyclonus chuckled. Demolisher looked around at the mess of Mini-cons surrounding the table and sighed loudly.  
  
"I'm not a maintenance bot!" He complained as Thundercracker kept smirking and propped up Bonecrusher, punching his head as the Mini-con's optic flickered on.  
  
"Uhh..what happened?" Bonecrusher asked.  
  
"Oh, just a little cheating on Swindle and Zapmaster's part, we stopped em good though." Thundercracker chuckled as he went to activate Knock-out.  
  
"Slaggin hustler!" Bonecrusher spat as he shot Swindle's prone form once, making a few credits fall out of him. Bonecrusher walked over and pilfered the credits before kicking him again. "That'll teach ya."  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
"Starscream, Cyclonus!" Thrust called down the hall. The two ran up to him, causing the Air Defense team to back off.  
  
"Thrust, we're tired of sitting around, we've either got to go on a raid and cause some property damage, or Cyclonus is going to hurt something." Starscream stated as Cyclonus nodded feverishly.  
  
"Hmmm..Cyclonus, you and Starscream can take part in my little experiment then, get Demolisher, Thundercracker, and the Mini-cons." Thrust said sternly.  
  
"Why do we need the Mini-cons?" Cyclonus asked.  
  
"Because we're going to show you we aren't tools, we're your equals!" Jetstorm cried as Cyclonus and Starscream took a step back.  
  
"What is the meaning of this?" Starscream asked as Thrust laughed.  
  
"I've made a deal that will end this war for good!" Thrust said as he walked outside the base with the Air Defense team. "Come out here with everyone and we'll see if you can hold your own, eh?"  
  
Thrust left as Cyclonus and Starscream stared.  
  
"He's not serious is he?" Cyclonus said.  
  
"I don't know.." Starscream trailed off, trying to realize what had just happened.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
All the kids gasped at the sight of Sideways, who shrugged and walked off. Optimus made a gesture for Blurr to follow him, and came up to the kids.  
  
"Why is he here!" Carlos yelled.  
  
"Yeah he's a Decepti-thingy!" Fred protested.  
  
"Decepticon, doofus." Billy corrected.  
  
"Calm down all of you, you're being childish!" Optimus cried out as Jetfire accidentally snickered at the comment.  
  
"But Optimus, he betrayed us!" Rad said.  
  
"He just provided us with vital information that we need, if we want to prevent a catastrophe!" Prime argued. "I believe we can trust him, and don't worry, he will be watched."  
  
"Fine..but I'll be watching him too." Alexis said as all the kids grumbled and stalked off.  
  
"So Optimus, how are we going to get all these 'Zodiac' Mini-cons before Unicron?" Jetfire inquired.  
  
"Well with any luck, the Decepticons will get back into the Mini-con race as well, and Sideways should be able to help, we just have to make sure that Unicron doesn't get any."  
  
"He better help us, or I'm going to let him have it!" Smokescreen said as he came into the room, Liftor in tow.  
  
"Say Liftor, you haven't heard of these Mini-cons have you?" Jetfire asked the Mini-con on Smokescreen's shoulder.  
  
"Actually, I've heard of them, but they were only fables, children's stories if you will." The Mini-con replied.  
  
"Well at least there's some truth to his argument then." Optimus stated, and then motioned for the rest of the men to get back to work.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
The "Spectre's Harbor" was quite the bustling port. It harbored quite a few unruly types, and also was one of the largest shuttle bays on Cybertron. A black and purple angular bot strode through the crowd, fiddling with a data disk in his hand. The bot had the appearance of a flier, and bore quite the resemblance to Starscream, or Thundercracker. He had a purple crest coming off his head however, and a few other minor differences. He checked the data pad and looked up.  
  
"This must be the right place. I must be insane to be chasing Thundy to Earth, but I can't believe he didn't want me to come with him!" The bot fumed. "To think, he's going to have all the fun slaggin Autobots.  
  
"Excuse me! Did I hear you were going to Earth?" Said a voice behind the purple and black bot. He spun around to see who was behind him. The bot had a large gash going across his chest, effectively crossing out a large, red Autobot symbol on his chest. The angular bot calmed down when he saw Decepticon symbols gracing his forearms and below the Autobot one. He was mostly black, with tan and white joint and limb colors, and teal detailing.  
  
"What's it to you?" The angular bot asked.  
  
"I'm Wheeljack, and I'm planning on going to Earth to help lord Megatron.and attend some.personal.business." Wheeljack said slowly.  
  
"The name's Skywarp, and I'm off to pay my little family a visit, who are under Megatron's command." The purple and black bot answered. "If you're up on helping me steal a shuttle, I'd be glad to let you be my riding buddy."  
  
"Excellent." Wheeljack smirked before disappearing. Skywarp gasped and looked around, just to see the nearest shuttle doors open, revealing a smiling and waving Wheeljack. Skywarp chuckled and climbed aboard.  
  
"Next stop, Earth." Wheeljack said as he sat down in one of the pilot seats.  
  
"You'll have to teach me that trick." Skywarp laughed as he hot-wired the shuttle and sat next to Wheeljack. The alarms blared in the "Spectre's Harbor" as the unauthorized shuttle flew out of the bay, sending many other ships off course.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Thrust smiled as the Decepticons and Mini-cons gathered. The Air Defense team stood at one end of a large canyon in the Moon, Thrust sitting atop a cliff in the side, at the middle of the canyon. Demolisher, who had released the Mini-con's emotional bonds, stood at one side of them, Thundercracker at the other. The Mini-cons murmured quietly among themselves as Starscream and Cyclonus landed at the other side of the arena.  
  
"So you're telling me that we are to fight these Mini-cons?" Starscream asked.  
  
"That is the general idea." Thrust said, "You may begin whenever you are ready."  
  
"HAH! Let's trash em 'Screamer!" Cyclonus cried out as he switched to helicopter mode, flying straight at the Air Defense team. Jetstorm gave a hand signal, causing Sonar and Runway to shift to vehicle mode and strafe Cyclonus. Cyclonus wasn't taking much damage, but it was becoming a nuisance. He shifted to robot mode in mid-air and started swatting at the Mini-cons. Starscream flew in to give support fire as Jetstorm flew in, flipping to robot mode and landing on Cyclonus's back, using his wrist mounted blasters to sodder Cyclonus's helicopter blade in place. He let out a scream as he realized what was happening, and plummeted to the ground.  
  
"Well played, but that will be your last, Transform!" Starscream yelled, flipping into robot mode and drawing his wing sword, the blade glowing with red energy.  
  
"We're not out of tricks yet, Runway, Sonar, combine!" Jetstorm yelled as Starscream watched in horror as the Star Sabre assembled and floated before him. The Sabre slashed out at him, the sound of his parrying making loud clanging noises as they danced about in mid-air, their audience captivated by Starscream's impressive sword-handling and the fact that the Star Sabre functioned without a user. Starscream struggled to keep his cool, trading blows with the user-less sword. ~What am I supposed to strike at!?~ Starscream thought as he barely dodged the Sabre. ~I'm not used to fighting a floating sword!~  
  
"It's over!" A combined voice of the three Mini-cons announced as they split as Starscream thrust his sword at them, all flying behind Starscream and reforming, the Star Sabre then slashing out his back, disabling flight.  
  
"NNNOOOO!!!" Starscream yelled as he plummeted, refusing to give up, he fired a desperate salvo from his chest, hitting the handle of the Sabre, making Sonar yell out and the Sabre deform, Runway and Jetstorm holding their injured comrade in mid-air.  
  
"Enough!" Thrust yelled from the top of the canyon. "The Air Defense team have proven my theory. Mini-cons are not just weapons, they are individuals, capable as much as any of us to wage efficient war. Therefore all Mini-cons under Decepticon command are to be treated as equals, is that understood!"  
  
"'Bout slaggin time someone got some sense around here." Bonecrusher said, smirking.  
  
"Well if there are no arguments, we shall go back to base to be repai..ARGH!" Thrust screamed as a purple light sheared his arm off, making him fall to the bottom of the canyon. All bots in the area looked up to see a purple version of the Star Sabre floating before them. It quickly disassembled into three bot's that looked disturbingly familiar.  
  
"By Primus!" Runway gasped as Jetstorm finished patching up Sonar and looked up himself.  
  
"What the!?" Jetstorm cried out as he saw a alternately colored version of himself land, flanked by doubles of Sonar and Runway. The first Mini- con stepped forward to address the assembled bots.  
  
"I, Maelstrom, have been ordered by master Unicron to destroy the Decepticons and any who would sympathize with them." Maelstrom said icily.  
  
"Thrust!" Demolisher cried out as he saw the cone-headed Decepticon fall. Thundercracker made the motion for Zapmaster to link up, swinging forward his Electro-cannons.  
  
"These guys are looking to be slagged." Thundercracker said as Demolisher nodded and brought his arms into attack position. The many Mini-cons about them brought weapons to bear on the newcomers as Swindle sped to where Starscream was helping up Cyclonus.  
  
"What a time to be grounded." Starscream muttered as Swindle leapt up onto his back, bringing his null rays to bear.  
  
"Oh forget it, lets toast them!" Cyclonus cried out as he fired his wrist blasters at the Mini-cons.  
  
"Slipstream, take out our antagonists, Sensor, bombard the canyon emplacement." Maelstrom ordered as his comrades flew after their targets. Maelstrom himself switched to jet mode and strafed where Thrust was lying. He rolled out of the way and fired with his remaining arm. Maelstrom easily dodged and landed before the crippled tactician. He brought his wrist lasers to bear of Thrust before the air before him distorted. Thrust vanished and was replaced by Inferno, who tackled him and began to pummel him. Slipstream had managed to take out Cyclonus but was taking fire from the Air Defense team and Starscream. Sensor had fled from Demolisher, Thundercracker, and the Mini-cons combined fire, but had managed to knock out Demolisher and some of the Mini-cons as well.  
  
"Enough!" Maelstrom cried as he, Slipstream, and Sensor flew in a circle in the middle of the arena. "Now combine!"  
  
Thundercracker switched to jet mode and flew at the combining team, but plummeted to the ground screaming as the Star Sabre clone tore through his wing. Starscream yelled out and drew his own sword.  
  
"Come fight me, 'Dark' Sabre, if you dare!" The cocky seeker yelled before motioning for them to fight with him. The Dark Sabre complied as it flew straight at him, becoming embedded into the ground as he dodged. Starscream swung at the sword, but only scratched the ground as it came out and cleaved his own sword in two. Starscream's hand trembled as he stared at the hilt of his sword. His gaze had just barely shifted to the oncoming Dark Sabre, before a blaze of blue light blocked it.  
  
"Use us Starscream!" The Star Sabre said to him as he grabbed the hilt after a second of staring incredulously at the sword. The two traded blows back and forth, Starscream feeling oddly relaxed as he and the Star Sabre worked as one, almost sharing minds. Starscream also noticed he was tiring, and couldn't keep up this pace. At this moment of realization, the Dark Sabre struck home, severing Starscream's arm and sending the Air Defense team tumbling, reverting to their bot modes. Starscream yelled out and fell, watching the purple Sabre float in front of him before turning to drive itself into him. He shut off his optics, waiting for the finishing blow. He heard and explosion, but didn't care as he waited.  
  
Waited.  
  
"Huh?" Starscream said as he opened his eyes, seeing the Air Defense doppelgangers sprawled out, and a large white and purple tank speeding towards him. "M-m-megatron?"  
  
"TRANSFORM!" The tank bellowed, arms spouting out of the front treads as the bottom ones lowered and twisted, forming feet, a faceplate sliding aside to reveal a face, and a small form shifting and landing next to the much larger bot's feet. "I see you're laying around as always Starscream."  
  
The dazed seeker stared at him for a moment as Thrust uncloaked next to him, freely leaking mech fluid from his severed limb.  
  
"Megatron! I knew you...would survive..." Thrust groveled as he sunk to his knees, becoming dizzy from the loss of fluids. "I knew..you'd help...us..I...knew..."  
  
The tyrant shifted his gaze to the Dark Sabre team as his optic's narrowed. "Go tell Unicron that Galvatron is the supreme ruler of the universe! Clench, Powerlink!"  
  
"Galvatron?" Starscream asked weakly as he saw Galvatron and an oddly colored Leader-1 link up and blast the team away, Maelstrom quickly transforming and grabbing his comrades. Galvatron walked up to Starscream as the seeker started to black out.  
  
"Oh I'm back Starscream, and better than ever." The tyrant chuckled as Starscream lost consciousness.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Hurray, finally a new chapter! Yeah, this was kinda an all Decepticon chapter, the Autobots will get some more air time next time, and I'll get the rest of the bots that are in the show now in here somehow, heh, but I hope you all enjoyed my Galvatron birth ( Please Read and Review, and if you feel like talking to me, e-mail me at waspinator45@hotmail.com. Thanks! 


	7. A Sabre to Make the Stars Scream

Disclaimer: sigh..do I have to? *eats generic golden grams* screw it, you all know it.  
  
The new Mini-con speech thing is \ / because when I previewed the fic, the mini-speech didn't show up, meh.  
  
Huzza! I'm out of high school, ohhhh yeah, graduation is upon me. I'm so happy that I'm trying to get this up sooner than the last one! Yeah I know, what a prize. Anyway, the thing I want every one to know in this chapter is that there is lots of RAIN! RAIN, LIGHTNING, and THUNDER! Any scene on Earth you can assume thunder is being heard, if theres windows, they are spattered with rain and lightning constantly flashes, and if outside, they are being torrented by rainfall, and the only thing lighting the darkness is optics, lasers, and LIGHTNING! And beware, this chapter is a bit scattery, and lots of stuff happens in a small time frame, so keep that in mind. So lotsa rain too, got it? Good. Enjoy.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
"Look at the size of that thing!" Thundercracker gaped.  
  
Galvatron had the Decepticons gathered outside on the moon. In front of them was the massive warship that Galvatron had been building in secret for a good month now. He had dubbed it "Tidal Wave" and he had determined that it was time to activate it.  
  
"Thrust, is all in readiness?" The reformatted tyrant asked.  
  
"Yes, lord Galvatron, all I have to do now is install the spark." Thrust called down from the deck of the warship. He produced a small box with a glowing sphere in it as he opened a hatch in the middle of the turrets. He hooked the box up to a few tubes and hit a button, which caused the warship to quake to life.  
  
"It's alive! Yesss!" Galvatron said, throwing his hands up in triumph as Thrust bailed from the deck and all the lights on the warship flickered to life in a brilliant display. "State your name and designation!"  
  
"Unit Tidal Wave, aquatic and air assault soldier under Lord Galvatron." The behemoth ship bellowed in response.  
  
"With Tidal Wave we shall launch our last assault against the Autobots!" Galvatron cheered as Gunbarrel sped onto the scene and transformed and kneeled before Galvatron.  
  
"/Sir, unidentified shuttle approaching our quadrant!\" The Mini-con chirped to the Decepticon commander. Galvatron looked in thought for a second before issuing his command.  
  
"Tidal Wave! Greet our guests!" Galvatron shouted as the warship began to lift off the ground.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
"We're coming up on the Moon now." Wheeljack said to his companion nonchalantly. Their stolen shuttle trip had gone well, and they were approaching the landing site quickly.  
  
"SWEET PRIMUS WHAT IS THAT!" Skywarp shouted as a massive flying aircraft carrier came up right in front of them, guns blazing.  
  
"What the! We gotta bail quick!" Wheeljack shouted as Skywarp transformed into a jet similar to Starscream, with vertical landing and take-off fans on its rear fins. Wheeljack hopped onto him as they flew out the cargo hatch. Tidal Wave crashes through the wreckage of the shuttle with easy and starts to fire on Skywarp.  
  
"Ready to try that little trick I taught you?" Wheeljack asked Skywarp.  
  
"Ready as I'll ever be, lets frag this guy!" Skywarp said as both he and Wheeljack phased out.  
  
"Tidal Wave cannot see targets!" Tidal Wave announced as Wheeljack appeared on his main deck, firing at his cannons. Tidal Wave brought his cannons to bear when Wheeljack again disappeared, reappearing on one of Tidal Wave's flank sections. Tidal Wave groaned as he swung all his cannons around. Skywarp appeared below him and switched to robot mode, firing from his chest as two gasps were heard from the crowd of onlookers.  
  
"That's not who I think it is...is it?" Thundercracker whispered to Starscream.  
  
"I really hope not.." Starscream muttered back.  
  
Tidal Wave was getting frustrated with Wheeljack when he got hit by Skywarp from his underside.  
  
"GRAH! Tidal Wave TRANSFORM!!" The warship cried as the deck split open and the flank sections swung down, a mammoth head popping up between the deck halves, which also swung down. Wheeljack was sent flying off of the monster Transformer as Skywarp flew down to catch him.  
  
"I think we're in a tad bit over our heads." Skywarp trailed off as Tidal Wave landed before them, chuckling and powering up his lasers.  
  
"Tidal Wave shall terminate!" Tidal Wave yelled as all his chest lasers fired. Wheeljack and Skywarp are flung back, Wheeljack into a rock, and Skywarp tumbling across the ground, one of his legs sparking dangerously.  
  
"No! Skywarp!"  
  
Galvatron turned his head to see Starscream fly out of the crowd in jet mode, Thundercracker close behind. Thundercracker scooped Skywarp off the ground before he's blasted as Starscream fires on Tidal Wave, making the giant groan audibly.  
  
"What is the meaning of this!!" Galvatron bellowed as he glared at Thundercracker, who landed near the rest of the Decepticons, Skywarp in his arms.  
  
"These are Decepticons you're attacking!" Thundercracker yelled at Galvatron before tending to Skywarp. "Are you ok, brother?"  
  
"I'll live, thanks Thundy." Skywarp muttered, holding his leg.  
  
"Tidal Wave, stand down!" Galvatron yelled at the warship as he instantly saw the resemblance between Skywarp and the other two seekers. Tidal Wave stopped and stood at attention as Starscream stopped and landed.  
  
"So who's the other guy?" Cyclonus asked, pointing at Wheeljack.  
  
"A buddy of mine, he said he wanted to come here to take care of some personal business and help out Megatron." Skywarp explained. "He helped me swipe a shuttle to get here."  
  
"Why did you come in the first place!" Starscream said as he came up to the other seekers.  
  
"Because you invited Thundercracker here and not me!" Skywarp yelled. "I'm not a kid anymore, I can take care of myself and be helpful!"  
  
"You're too headstrong." Thundercracker said. "You'll get yourself killed."  
  
"You don't have to protect me anymore!" Skywarp said, hitting Thundercracker over the head and starting to walk away, but falling over."  
  
"Looks like you need our help still." Starscream said with a smirk as Skywarp muttered some inaudible curses.  
  
Galvatron decided to get away from this silly family affair and came up to Wheeljack's fallen form, flanked by Thrust and Demolisher.  
  
"Stand to attention solider!" Galvatron said to Wheeljack, who looked up, and then quickly scrambled to his feet.  
  
"Lord Megatron sir!" Wheeljack said, saluting smartly before going back to hold his sides. "You.look different sir."  
  
"I've been through some.changes, yess. My name is now Galvatron!" The tyrant said before motioning for Demolisher to help Wheeljack. "Why are you here?"  
  
"To serve you my lord, and get revenge on my "Brother"." Wheeljack spat as Galvatron smirked.  
  
"Well then, welcome to our happy little family. Demolisher, get him and Skywarp repaired, Thrust, Cyclonus, repair Tidal Wave, we attack the Autobots at sunset!" Galvatron ordered.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Scourge strode into Unicron's main conference room, glancing about before standing at attention on the central platform.  
  
"Report." Unicron said, the voice coming from all around.  
  
"It appears Megatron has not been terminated, and is in fact, more powerful than before, calling himself Galvatron now." Scourge said, not letting his voice falter.  
  
"And the Air Assault team? Did they accomplish their mission?" Unicron asked. Scourge took in a deep breath before continuing, his mouth fidgeting under his faceplate.  
  
"They were on the verge of success when Galvatron intervened. The Decepticons all survive and have activated a massive unit they call 'Tidal Wave'." Scourge said, dimming his optics as Unicron groaned audibly.  
  
"Bring the Air Assault team before me..for their punishment." Unicron said coldly.  
  
"There is more, sir." Scourge said, considering what he just said.  
  
"What is that?"  
  
"Two more Decepticons have made their way to Galvatron, they are now nine strong, not counting the Mini-cons."  
  
"Have Sideways hold off on having the Autobot begin their little quest I have presented them with until the Decepticons decide to attack them, and send Prowl to observe their little skirmish, I'd like to know these new unit's fighting power. That is all, you are dismissed Scourge."  
  
"Thank you my lord."  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Sideswipe sped through the rainy canyon, flanked by Spiral and Nightbeat. Lightning lit up the sky as Sideswipe complained audibly.  
  
"So why are we the only ones looking for this Mini-con again?" Sideswipe asked his smaller companions.  
  
"/Because, the other's are standing by in case the enemy attacks, we haven't seen the Decepticons for awhile now and Optimus thinks we don't need everyone in the field if there won't be a battle.\" Spiral explained.  
  
"Sheesh, so I get stuck in the rain to rust." Sideswipe retorted.  
  
"/I know you don't want to hear any more bad news 'Swipe, but my scanners are going nuts.\" Nightbeat said. "/You better contact HQ.\"  
  
"It can't be that bad, can it?" Sideswipe said, stopping to observe the area. Lightning flashed as a massive figure became illuminated. ~I must be seeing things.~ The optics of the figure didn't disappear with the lightning however, and Sideswipe quickly transformed. He zoomed in and saw many more smaller lights at about a fourth of the other's height. Lightning flashed again as he saw more Decepticons he didn't recognized, but was able to clearly identify Megatron, although something seemed different. He also noticed many smaller lights by the feet of the Decepticons.  
  
"Primus! They brought the whole kit and caboodle! Nightbeat, get the others out here before they notice us!" Sideswipe stammered.  
  
"/You got it boss!\" Nightbeat said as an explosion rocked where the three were standing. Sideswipe whipped out his gun and tried to find his aggressor when an invisible force knocked the gun out of his hand and knocked him down. Both Nightbeat and Spiral where shot back as it felt like a foot was on top of Sideswipe's chest.  
  
"Who's there!" Sideswipe yelled, grabbing the invisible leg and trying to shake it off. The foot stomped him before phasing into view.  
  
"Well now, what do we have here, hahahaha!" Thrust cackled.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Sideways leaned up against the wall. He was just sitting in the Autobot base, in one of the darker corridors. He was deep in thought when heavy footsteps interrupted his thoughts. He didn't even look up to address the bot who came up to him.  
  
"What do you want, Scavenger?" Sideways said.  
  
"Why are you here?" Scavenger asked.  
  
"Straight to the point I see."  
  
"Answer the question."  
  
"No need to be rude. I'm here to help the Autobots, simple as that."  
  
"I find it hard to believe."  
  
"Why would you think that, Scavenger?"  
  
"Because you always have a hidden agenda, you did when you were with the Decepticons, and you do now, I know it."  
  
"I'm sorry but I just want to Autobots to gain the upper hand, nothing else."  
  
"Bull slag."  
  
"Are you done?"  
  
"I'll be watching you."  
  
"I'm counting on it."  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
"Alright, I'm trusting that you Mini-cons will not abandon us in battle?" Galvatron said as he eyed his assembled Mini-cons warily.  
  
"/We swore to help the Decepticons as long as we are treated as equals.\" Jetstorm responded to the tyrant.  
  
"Alright, do not make me regret this decision then, you are free to choose who you are partnered with." Galvatron announced. All the Decepticons original Mini-cons sided with them, then Drill-bit went to Cyclonus, Bonecrusher to himself, Knock-out to Wheeljack, Buzz-saw to Skywarp, Gunbarrel to Tidal Wave, and the Air Defense team came before Starscream.  
  
"What? You're going with me?" Starscream asked the team, startled.  
  
"/We respect your swordsman-ship, and believe you are the most skilled in our use.\" Sonar told Starscream, who just smirked and nodded.  
  
"Sir! Thrust is hailing us, he has found an Autobot, the rest are sure to follow." Wheeljack reported quickly.  
  
"Excellent, the Autobot's final hour is at hand!" Galvatron smirked as his troops prepared to move.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Prowl warped in on the canyon wall, Backtrack on his shoulder. The duo sat and watched the Autobots warp in and prepare for battle.  
  
"Well this should prove to be most entertaining, what do you think Backtrack?" Prowl said.  
  
"/It should be fun.\" The green Mini-con replied "/But there are multiple Mini-con signals in this canyon, I wonder if they'll find them all?\"  
  
"No doubt they will, but let us make things interesting?" Prowl said as he turned and kicked the canyon wall, causing a yellow panel to fall to the ground below and activate.  
  
"/That was a Skyboom shield Mini-con.\" Backtrack stated.  
  
"I know." Prowl chuckled as they got comfy.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
"Sideswipe!" Hot Shot yelled as he fired his back cannon near Thrust, Jolt powerlinked already.  
  
"Gah! I didn't expect the Autobots to be here so soon!" Thrust said as he phased out, Sideswipe sighing in relief.  
  
"You saved my life bro!" Sideswipe said, jumping up and hugging Hot Shot.  
  
"Gee.thanks.I think." Hot Shot said, trying to shrug Sideswipe off  
  
"Nobody has ever done anything like that for me before." Sideswipe said, overjoyed.  
  
"Hey you two, get off each other and get up here, it won't be long before the Decepticons are all over us!" Jetfire called down, getting loud laughter from the other assembled Autobots. Thunder rumbled as a flash of lightning lit up the sky, showing four jets, a helicopter, and an aircraft carrier overhead.  
  
Galvatron, Demolisher, and Wheeljack sped across the canyon towards the Autobots. Mini-cons linked with their Decepticon counter parts as Wheeljack's doors flipped up and revealed missile launchers, Galvatron's missile battery flipped forward to his tank cannon, and Demolisher aimed his main cannons at the Autobots as they all fired, sending rocks and dust everywhere. Optimus ordered the Autobots to scramble as he asked Sideswipe for a report.  
  
"Well, theres a lot more than last time, one of the new ones looks like Starscream and Thundercracker, then one is obviously that massive flying ship. The last one was weird though, he had a car mode, and an Autobot symbol with a gash through it." Sideswipe reported.  
  
"WHAT!" Hot Shot yelled suddenly before running up to Sideswipe, grabbing him by the shoulders. "What was that last thing you said."  
  
"Car mode...Autobot symbol.tear in chest..stop.shaking me!" Sideswipe said, getting shoved aside by Hot Shot as he transformed and sped to where all the land mode Decepticons were.  
  
"Hot Shot, stop!" Prime called out in vain to the yellow Autobot. "Sideswipe, Scavenger, get after him, Jetfire, Smokescreen, Blurr, bring down those fliers!"  
  
"Right, come on Sideswipe, I'm clearing the way!" Scavenger called to the marksman before switching to vehicle mode, engines roaring loudly, rain spattering on the giant green bulldozer.  
  
"Alright, lets tear them a new waste disposal unit!" Sideswipe said before switching vehicle mode as well, Nightbeat jumping onto his rear powerlink port.  
  
Jetfire and Blurr changed to vehicle mode while Liftor jumped onto Smokescreen's crane, flipping forward his massive cannon.  
  
"Give us cover Smokescreen, I need some distance to take off." Blurr yelled to Smokescreen.  
  
"You got it, let her rip little buddy!" Smokescreen said to Liftor as he aimed his cannon and dug in to the canyon wall.  
  
"/FIRE!\ Liftor yelled as Smokescreen was thrown back from the force of the multiple shots. The Decepticons were just clued in on their location and returned fire, torrents of energy bombarding their position. Rain poured off of Tidal Wave's deck and onto the bots below, Blurr's windshield wipers were at their max.  
  
"What is that thing?" Jetfire asked as Commettor linked up to his underside.  
  
"I don't know, but it's going down! Let's hit it, Incinerator, POWERLINK!" Blurr shouted as the blue race-car drove into his back end, causing his rear wheels and doors to fold down, making wings. "Come on Jetfire!"  
  
"Right behind you!" Jetfire said as Blurr's engines roared and he shot off into the sky, Jetfire following suit.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Dirt Boss was greeted with a bath of rain and random bursts of light ~/Lovely, where's Mirage and Downshift?\~ He thought as he got up. Explosions rocked all around him as he opened his mental link, contacting his team members.  
  
On the Moon, the two panels by Galvatron's throne lit up and activated, revealing a bright yellow clawed Mini-con and a gray stocky one with long arms and blue highlights. The two got their bearings and looked around.  
  
"/Where are we?\" Mirage asked.  
  
"/No clue, where's Dirt Boss?\" Downshift replied.  
  
"/Try the mental link.\" Mirage suggested.  
  
~/Hey guys? You hear me?\~  
  
"/Dirt Boss?\" Both Mini-cons replied.  
  
~/Yeah, get to my coordinates, nobody knows we've activated yet and we're getting the hell out of dodge.\~ Dirt Boss said telepathically to his team.  
  
"/Alright, let's go Downshift!\" Mirage said as he transformed, zipping about the Decepticon base. Downshift sighed and followed, listening to Dirt Boss transmitting his coordinates.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
"WHEELJACK!"  
  
"Huh?" Wheeljack said, shifting his view to see a yellow car race at him.  
  
"Wheeljack, you got an Autobot approaching you, take him out!" Demolisher cried to him, Black-out manning his gunner's seat.  
  
"Don't worry about a thing." Wheeljack said before phasing out, causing Hot Shot to stop and transform.  
  
"WHEELJACK! SHOW YOURSELF!" Hot Shot screamed, having Jolt powerlink and flipping his massive cannon forward.  
  
"Aww, I didn't know you cared, Hot Shot." Wheeljack said, phasing out in front of Hot Shot, weapons drawn. "But now, vengeance will be mine!"  
  
"Why did you join the Decepticons Wheeljack, WHY!" Hot Shot said, his fists tightly clenched.  
  
"Because! They cared for me when you all abandoned me!" Wheeljack shouted. "You Autobots are a bunch of hypocrites, theres nothing evil about the Decepticons, we just have different views on how to keep our species alive!"  
  
"I didn't mean to abandon you...brother." Hot Shot said, his energy draining from him.  
  
"But you did." Wheeljack said before shooting Hot Shot. Hot Shot made no move to dodge, and took the blast straight to the chest.  
  
"HOT SHOT!"  
  
"Hmm?" Wheeljack said, looking up to see a bulldozer and blue sedan heading straight for him. He simply phased out and watched from a crag as Sideswipe transformed.  
  
"Hot Shot! Speak to me bro!" Sideswipe said, taking Hot Shot in his arms. "I'm not getting any response."  
  
"He didn't even move..I want to know why, TRANSFORM!" Scavenger yelled, switching to robot mode and scanning around. Rollbar came up besides him.  
  
"/Ya see anything?\" The Mini-con inquired.  
  
"Yeah, powerlink up, I'll fire a shot." Scavenger said to Rollbar quietly as the Mini-con transformed and attached to his hip. Scavenger got his bearings and fired his hip cannon, causing someone to yell out from behind some rocks.  
  
"He's mine!" Sideswipe yelled, running up to the crag and tackling the Ex- Autobot. Wheeljack beat Sideswipe over the head with his guns, causing Sideswipe to skid into the mud. Wheeljack smirked when he felt a massive hand come down on his head.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Starscream lead the seekers to fire on Smokescreen and Red Alert, who were the only ground bots firing upon the air force. Cyclonus and Tidal Wave were contending with Blurr and Jetfire's air-counterstrike.  
  
"We're getting torn apart Red Alert, we need to take one of them down!" Smokescreen called to the medic.  
  
"I'll draw their fire, unload on them once they get in range." Red Alert said, switching to his SUV mode.  
  
"What! That's crazy!" Smokescreen said.  
  
"Got any better ideas?"  
  
"Nope, good luck."  
  
"Thanks for stopping me." Red Alert chuckled as he peeled out, sending mud everywhere.  
  
"/Hey, you're even getting me muddy!\" Long-arm called from on top of Red Alert, who took off before the Mini-con could finish. Red Alert rode out past Smokescreen until one of them noticed him.  
  
"Theres a stray, lets take him out!" Starscream cried as Thundercracker and Skywarp followed,  
  
"He's mine!" Skywarp cried out, flying ahead of the others, who let out cries of protest.  
  
"What do you think you're doing!" Thundercracker yelled as Skywarp caught up to Red Alert, firing on the SUV.  
  
"Now I gotcha!" Smokescreen whooped before nailing Skywarp in the side with one shot, sending him crashing to the ground.  
  
"I'll take him, you get Red Alert!" Starscream yelled to Thundercracker as they split, Starscream barrel rolling and strafing Smokescreen. Red Alert transformed and had his gun flip forward, hiding behind a rock as Thundercracker transformed and linked with Zapmaster, his Electro-cannons swinging forward. Red Alert fired a few shots as the seeker dodged and zipped to the other side of the rocks.  
  
"Prepare to terminate, Autobot." Thundercracker said, his cannons sparking threateningly.  
  
"I think not!" Red Alert said, chancing to fire at Thundercracker then roll, getting singed by the electrical attack. Thundercracker also swerved out of the way, struggling to upright himself in mid-air. Starscream landed by Smokescreen, Star Sabre quickly forming in his hands.  
  
"You're no match for me Autobot, surrender and you may live." Starscream said, his voice as cold as ice. Starscream was taken aback when Smokescreen began to guffaw loudly, steadying his long arm, then facing the Decepticon, his gaze pure steel.  
  
"I think you're full of yourself, Star Sabre or no, you're not taking me without a fight!" Smokescreen said, and begun swinging his long arm wildly, his cannon still out.  
  
"/I'm---gonna----hurl!\" Liftor cried as he fired the cannon, blasts causing mud and water to go everywhere. Starscream backed up as the blue glow of the Star Sabre was drowned out by the red glowing of all the lasers going everywhere.  
  
"You fool, you'll kill us all!" Starscream cried as Smokescreen rushed him, getting clobbered by the long arm. The seeker kicked Smokescreen down and slashed as him, but Smokescreen blocked with his long arm, the blade burning into it as Smokescreen smiled and swung it off. Starscream ate mud once more as Smokescreen put a foot to his back.  
  
"Ready to give up yet?" Smokescreen questioned, and was answered by his foot being pulled out from under him, Starscream growling menacingly.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
"Tidal Wave will CRUSH!" The warship bellowed as all its cannons fired at Blurr, who barely avoided the torrent of energy.  
  
"I really should practice flying more often." Blurr muttered as he flew around and fired at Tidal Wave, but the shot's merely bounced off. Jetfire was having much better luck with Cyclonus, who was complaining audibly as he barely dodged the jet's lasers.  
  
"You're cheating! I'll show you!" Cyclonus cried as he rammed himself into Jetfire, Drill-bit's drill searing into Jetfire's hull. Jetfire yelled out before transforming, flinging Cyclonus to the side as he also transformed, linking Crumplezone and Drill-bit to his arms, Commettor switching to Jetfire's cannon. The two stared at each other, weapons drawn, then the verbal barbs began.  
  
"Pretty gutsy for someone who's completely outgunned." Jetfire chuckled.  
  
"Keep talking Autoboob, flattery will get you nowhere." Cyclonus responded, rain running down his face.  
  
"Autoboob? I bet a maintenance drone could make a better insult than that!"  
  
"Well I bet that drone could fly better than you can!"  
  
"I bet it can beat you in a contest of wits!"  
  
"Well...um...errr...Tidal Wave, shoot him!" Cyclonus cried out to the warship as it swung two cannons forward and pelted Jetfire. Jetfire cried out as Cyclonus cackled and landed next to Demolisher, who was blasting at the Autobot's main emplacement. Blurr circled around and shot at Tidal Wave again, allowing Jetfire to bring up his plasma cannon and sent a flurry of bolts at Tidal Wave. The enraged warship cried out as lights flared up all across its hull, distracting most bots.  
  
"Tidal Wave! TRANSFORM!" He cried as Blurr and Jetfire landed and transformed, immediately getting pushed down by the torrent of water that dropped from the sky as the deck split apart and formed arms, the monstrous head coming up and the flanks folding down into legs.  
  
"Quite a elegant military machine is it not, Thrust?" Galvatron addressed his second as they ceased firing to watch the spectacle.  
  
"Yes indeed Galvatron, very much so, I feel this is to be the final battle." Thrust said, his optics burning.  
  
"Not if we can help it!"  
  
"PRIME!" Galvatron roared as he swung around to face the Autobot leader, flanked by-  
  
"YOU!" Thrust screamed, throwing himself at Sideways. Sideways chuckled and sidestepped the tactician as he face Galvatron.  
  
"So Megs, got a face lift I see." Sideways chortled.  
  
"No thanks to you, you pathetic traitor!" Galvatron spat, "And my name is GALVATRON!"  
  
"Galvatron?" Optimus questioned. "How did this come about?"  
  
"He bit off more than he could chew." Sideways chuckled again as Thrust resumed attacking him. "Sorry Prime, got a date with a conehead, be back in a bit."  
  
"Worthless Unicron spawn!" Galvatron cried, firing his powered up cannon, Clench and Bonecrusher linked up. His shots missed Sideways but prompted Optimus, to lack better words, put his pants on.  
  
"Optimus Super mode!" Optimus cried as his trailer with Sparkplug and Spiral rolled up, converting as he himself turned into a torso and the blue and yellow Mini-cons linked to his shoulder.  
  
"You are pitiful Prime, you would take in that whelp after all he has done." Galvatron said, half musing to himself. "I fail to grasp your logic in this, Prime."  
  
"Why would you even wonder this Megatron?" Optimus asked, rain running down his form as he grasped his large rifle.  
  
"Know thy enemy Optimus..and..my name..is...GALVATRON!" The tyrant yelled as he charged.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Skywarp groped around groggily in the mud. His side sparked occasionally and the jets in his feet were out. He looked to the side to see where Thundercracker was engaging Red Alert, the lightning lancing out of his cannons. He then looked over to see Starscream fighting Smokescreen, both sparking badly, the blue light of the Star Sabre clanging to and fro. Skywarp pounded the ground in frustration.  
  
"Damnit! I need a Mini-con of my own!" Skywarp cried out, as he had lost Buzz-saw in the crash. He pulled himself up onto the canyon wall, still sparking, and punched the wall furiously. Skywarp cursed again as rubble fell and hit him on the head. He turned to kick the rocks when he saw it.  
  
"A Mini-con panel!" Skywarp exclaimed, grabbing the panel, giggling hysterically. "You are mine! Activate now!"  
  
The panel flashed brightly as a silver, winged, and jagged looking Mini-con knelt before him. Skywarp smiled and examined his new possession.  
  
"/Greetings master, I am Thunderclash.\" The Mini-con introduced itself.  
  
"Excellent, come on, we'll show them what we can do yet." Skywarp said, transforming, parts grinding where his injury was. After a second to let the pain subside, he jetted off, Thunderclash in tow.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
"Would you just DIE!" Starscream yelled as he flung himself again at Smokescreen. The hardy Autobot laughed loudly again as he punched the Star Sabre back, completely ignoring the searing pain in his hand that it left.  
  
"Sorry Screamer, I don't die to easy." Smokescreen said, letting off another shot at the seeker. Starscream dodged and stood at a fighting stance. Smokescreen spat mech fluid out of his mouth, his body having multiple dents and fractures in it. Starscream took another stab at it, literally as he thrust the Star Sabre forward. Smokescreen side stepped and clocked Starscream right in the face. The seeker groaned and fell, dropping the Sabre. Smokescreen fell to one knee as he realized the extent of his exhaustion.  
  
"Wow, too bad for you Screamer, prolly coulda got me in the next round." Smokescreen said to Starscream's offline form as he began to walk away. But he didn't see the Star Sabre rise from the ground on its own and point itself towards the orange Autobot.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Blurr barely pulled himself up from the water torrent to see a massive foot crashing down upon him. Fortunately, like his name suggested, his reflexes were well refined, allowing him to avoid being crushed. Mud rained down onto him as Tidal Wave's foot crashed into the place Blurr was previously standing, causing the wet dirt to fly everywhere. As the rain washed away the mud from Blurr, he was having trouble moving his joints.  
  
"Damnit! Jetfire, I think I'm clogged! Cover me!" Blurr yelled to the massive white and red Autobot, who complied by firing his plasma cannon repeatedly into the giants head. Tidal Wave simply grunted and swung a massive backhand at Jetfire, who turned off his propulsion jets in his feet to fall and avoid the sweeping arm. This however, left him unable to maneuver as he restarted the jets. Tidal Wave fired his full salvo from his chest at Jetfire, knocking him back into the muddy canyon. Blurr hid behind a rock as the cannons locked onto him, quickly demolishing the rock as Blurr pulled a large shell from subspace.  
  
"And I was saving this for a special occasion." The marksman said to himself as he loaded it in one of his rifles and called for Incinerator. The blue Mini-con appeared at Blurr's side in an instant.  
  
"/What's the good word boss, I think that thing just smoked Jetfire.\" Incinerator commented as Blurr stifled a chuckle.  
  
"Powerlink with my rifle, we're taking him down one way or another." Blurr said as he took aim, Incinerator switching to vehicle mode and jumping on the cannon. Blurr took careful aim as Tidal Wave lumbered toward him. Blurr pulled the trigger and his rifle's barrel left the rest, rocketing towards Tidal Wave. The giant could only roar in surprise as the barrel fired the shell, which bore itself into Tidal Wave's chest before exploding.  
  
"NOOOOO!" Tidal Wave roared as he fell backwards into the mud. Cyclonus and Demolisher, who had gotten pretty complacent with the pace of the battle, gaped at the falling warship before Demolisher snapped out of it.  
  
"You idiot!" Demolisher said, slapping the back of Cyclonus's head. "Get them!"  
  
"HEY! I wasn't the only one sitting on my aft, now was I?" Cyclonus glared at the tank.  
  
"Errrrmmm, well, we'll both get him." Demolisher decided as he began firing at Blurr. Cyclonus followed suit, pelting at the blue and gray Autobot.  
  
"Oh this is all I need." Blurr muttered as he slammed another cartridge into his rifle and returned fire.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
"I'll kill you for your treachery!" The coneheaded Decepticon growled as the purple and yellow motorcycle nonchalantly dodged any attempts that Thrust made to damage him, and it was frustrating the tactician.  
  
"Thrust, Thrust, Thrust." Sideways said, shaking his head. "You just don't get it do you?"  
  
"What are you talking about?" Thrust snarled, still trying to shoot the bot with seemingly no allegiance.  
  
"You think destroying these Autobots will solve your problem, but if you forgot, there is another just waiting to devour you both." Sideways said, his voice nearing a whisper.  
  
"Unicron? He hasn't even made much of a move yet, what's to worry about him for now?" Thrust said, trying to find Sideways' point.  
  
"He is a planet eater, and you think these pansy flower pushing Autobots are a bigger threat?" Sideways said, appearing behind Thrust, rapping his head lightly. "Anyone home in there?"  
  
"Shut up!" Thrust said, pulling himself away. "And if he is so powerful then why aren't we all dead yet?"  
  
"He needs something from this planet, the Mini-cons." Sideways said bluntly.  
  
"The Mini-cons!? They're powerful yes, but the almighty lord of chaos shouldn't require their help." Thrust scoffed. Sideways simply pushed Thrust onto a rock, sitting him down as he stood before the jet.  
  
"It's story time Thrust, so listen good and you may learn something." Sideways said, flipping Rook off of his head and allowing his cylindrical head to come up. Thrust was taken aback at this, as Sideways' emotionless visor stared deep into his spark. He took in a breath, the lightning flashing and rain pouring still as he began, and Thrust completely forgot that there was a battle going on around them.  
  
"Back many million stellar cycles, when the first records of Unicron were established, and Rodimus Prime used the matrix to destroy Unicron, it was thought that his head was all that remained of the lord of chaos, but that was not the case. His body was destroyed, but his soul survived. At the darkest corner of the universe, he began to rebuild himself, using the parts of destroyed civilizations to make his new body. The Mini-cons had just made their appearance on Cybertron when he finally started to wake from his deep slumber. He destroyed a few minor planets, but the councils just rode it off as natural occurrences. The Mini-cons weren't as foolish though. Before he reached his full potential, a group of Mini-con explorers and scientists, lead by Leo, constructed link ports on his orbiting ring. Because of their size, Unicron's weakened sensors never detected them. They then all linked to him, and installed a transformation lock and power draining program into him. They then returned to Cybertron to just catch the Mini-con mass exodus. Since no one knew where they ended up, Unicron has bided his time, waiting until someone foolishly stumbled upon the Mini-cons once more. Now, he can search for these twelve Mini- cons, the Zodiac Mini-cons."  
  
Thrust blinked a few times, trying to absorb it all. But Sideways sighed and continued.  
  
"But, the Mini-cons knew this could happen, and made these Mini-cons signals unable to be read by any sort of scanner. They can only be activated by the combining of the three."  
  
"The three? The three what?!" Thrust demanded to know. Rook jumped back onto Sideways' head, lighting the Autobot insignia in the darkness. Sideways chuckled before addressing the tactician again.  
  
"Now that I read you a story, its time to go to bed." Sideways chortled as Crosswise latched onto Thrust's head, coming from out of nowhere, and shocked him, making the coneheaded Decepticon slump over, offline.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
"Sideswipe, go find Blurr and Jetfire and help them now." Scavenger ordered.  
  
"But I want to know what this guy has against my bro!" Sideswipe complained.  
  
"That's an order Sideswipe, now go!" Scavenger yelled, making the sedan flinch.  
  
"Alright, alright, I'm going. Ya grump." Sideswipe muttered, transforming and speeding off to where Tidal Wave had fallen. Scavenger then turned to Wheeljack, who was beginning to stir. Rollbar and Ransack had come and guarded the prone forms of Knock-out and Buzz-saw, and Gunbarrel was still shrieking from where he was tied up with energy bonds.  
  
"Argh, what was the license number on the train that hit me." Wheeljack winced as he came to.  
  
"It was a bulldozer actually, and its C-05" Scavenger said, the wearing the most smart-ass smirk Wheeljack had ever seen.  
  
"What! Autobot, what do you want!" Wheeljack yelled, struggling against the massive purple hands the held him in place.  
  
"What is with you and Hot Shot!? Why did he let you shoot him point blank?" Scavenger questioned, barking into Wheeljack's face.  
  
Wheeljack chuckled as Scavenger stared. "So you don't know yet, do you? I think I'd rather let him tell you, it'd be more painful for him to recall betraying a fellow Autobot!"  
  
"What!?" Scavenger said, confused and surprised at the same time.  
  
"Seems he finally realized his wrong and decided to pay for it, now if you are done, I must be leaving." Wheeljack said, now bearing the smirk as he phased out and kicked Scavenger in the nether regions. Scavenger groaned and loosened his grip enough to allow Wheeljack to slip by and shoot the bonds holding Gunbarrel, along with Rollbar.  
  
"/FFFRRREEEEEE!\" The mentally unstable Mini-con screamed as he socked Ransack in the face, grabbing Knock-out and Buzz-saw and warping out. Wheeljack switched to vehicle mode and sped off as Scavenger coughed, holding his groin. He closed his optics to fight the pain when he heard it.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Dirt Boss was securing the third Mini-con panel they had found in the area. After Mirage and Downshift had warped down to him, they had combed the canyon, grabbing any panels they could find. They lined up the panels and watched as they activated. The first was a teal, white, and gray bot whose arms were massive cannons. The second was a winged and horned bot, looking regal and sinister at the same time. The third was a red and black bot with tread arms and legs, and two wicked looking claws spouting out from the sides of his head.  
  
"/Hello comrades, Mirage, Downshift, and myself welcome you to the Mini-con resistance.\" Dirt Boss smiled as the three introduced themselves.  
  
"/Name's Fetch, and you can bet that all those bots will be slagged with me around.\" The teal bot said, as the horned one scoffed.  
  
"/Aren't you a brute. I am Terradive, and I shall gladly help to promote Mini-con equality.\" Terradive said with a bow to Dirt Boss.  
  
"/And you?\" Mirage asked the large red Mini-con.  
  
"/Iceberg.\" Was all the Mini-con said, standing stiff, looking like he didn't feel the need to say anymore.  
  
"/Welcome my friends, to the end of Autobot and Decepticon alike!\" Dirt Boss said, raising his fist to the sky. Lightning struck as they transformed and left the canyon, finding a base of operations. They barely missed the black figure with the crossed over Autobot symbol chuckle and smash his fist into the canyon wall, producing a Mini-con panel and activating it. The stealth fighter styled Mini-con that emerged silently linked up as the form whispered.  
  
"Yes, you will do nicely, Wind Sheer." Wheeljack smirked before stalking off.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Optimus had met up with Sideswipe as he knocked Galvatron back. The tyrant cursed and was quickly joined by Cyclonus and Demolisher as Blurr limped over to Optimus. The Autobot leader's one on one bout with the Decepticon had proven fairly stereotypical of most of their encounters, and he had driven Galvatron back to his troops now. Thundercracker swooped in, having disabled Red Alert, and regrouped with the rest of the 'Cons. This allowed them to be in one place to hear the most unearthly scream they had ever heard.  
  
"GGGGGGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"  
  
Optimus Prime immediately identified the voice. "SMOKESCREEN!"  
  
Galvatron closed his eyes and smiled. Cyclonus and Demolisher both flinched as Thundercracker checked over himself, his usual grimace taking precedence.  
  
"Should we find out who got the kill?" Thundercracker asked Galvatron nonchalantly.  
  
"Yes, let us my dear Thundercracker." The Decepticon leader chuckled, the Autobots already on their way to the scene. Blurr was the only one who remained, to injured to continue, hung his head and closed his optics, warping back to base so the Decepticons didn't try to take him out as well.  
  
"Smokescreen....may Primus be with you." Blurr whispered before the white lines left him, sending him to the Autobot base.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Jetstorm disengaged with his team, who was all spattered in mech fluid. Smokescreen stared at the Mini-cons before him, before slowly looking down to his torso. He glanced at the wires and cables hanging out of his midsection before coughing up mech fluid, and falling to his knees. Liftor moaned and offlined from on top of him  
  
"W.w...wh...why?" Smokescreen whispered, his optics going white as stasis- lock commenced.  
  
"/Hypocrites.\" Jetstorm snorted as Sonar gave him a worried glance. Runway just stared on, his arms crossed as the Decepticons and Autobots converged on their position. The Autobots arrived first, Scavenger from one direction, transforming and bowing his head, giving the Mini-cons a shocked glance. Smokescreen slowly turned his head to Scavenger and tried mouthing something, but he collapsed before he could get off a sound. He gripped a piece of dirt as he sunk offline. Optimus and Sideswipe arrived next. Sideswipe transformed and looked as if he was about to hurl, while Prime looked very solemn. He turned to Scavenger and waited until he caught the green Autobot's attention.  
  
"Status report?" Optimus asked, fury seeping into his voice.  
  
"Hot Shot was sent back to base after injuries, Red Alert and Jetfire are unaccounted for, I suggest activating their emergency warp protocols." Scavenger said, also staying fairly cool.  
  
"Blurr went back also due to injuries." Optimus said. Sideswipe couldn't take his eyes of Smokescreen's prone form, but he still was able to snap out of it long enough.  
  
"How can you be so cold!" Sideswipe said, yelling out at Prime and Scavenger. "Smokescreen was just killed!"  
  
"Not yet, stasis lock commenced, so we can get him back to stabilize him." Optimus said.  
  
"Well then why aren't we doing it!" Sideswipe continued.  
  
"Because..we have to assess the situation, unfortunately, command units must push personal feelings aside for the moment until all of their troops are accounted for, wounded or otherwise." Scavenger said to the young Autobot, voice as cold as ice. "Where the slot is Sideways?"  
  
"Sorry to be late." The motorcycle pulled up as if on cue, spraying mud about as he stopped. "We pulling out I presume?"  
  
"Yes, back to base, Scavenger, care for Smokescreen." Optimus said as Sideswipe warped back, still angry.  
  
"The amount of professionalism you two are conveying impress me, you may make Decepticons yet." Sideways chortled before warping out. Scavenger growled as he picked up Smokescreen.  
  
"Calm down Scavenger, he didn't mean it I'm sure." Optimus said rationally.  
  
"Shove it up your aft Prime, I'm getting sick of this lack of emotions, what ever happened to the Autobots of old?" Scavenger said, letting his anger out.  
  
"Times have changed old friend, times have changed." Prime said, rain pelting his form.  
  
"Indeed." Scavenger said, his eyes on fire as he warped back with Smokescreen's prone form. Prime looked to the Air Defense team. Jetstorm's darkened scowl, Runway's emotionless optics, and Sonar's worried face. Optimus sighed as he saw the Decepticons approach, and warped before Galvatron began his taunting. Starscream was just stirring as Galvatron, Cyclonus, Thundercracker, and Demolisher appeared. They transformed as Thundercracker helped Starscream and Galvatron looked onto the Air Defense team, slight surprise betraying his optics.  
  
"This, impresses me." Galvatron said as Jetstorm once again scoffed.  
  
"/We didn't kill him unfortunately, my teammates had objections with that.\" The hardened Mini-con responded.  
  
"Still, you've done more damage than we've been able to achieve on the Autobots ever." Galvatron said, looking at the Mini-con as a father would his son after he won his first little league game.  
  
"What happened?" Starscream asked slowly, dull pain throbbing in his head.  
  
"Smokescreen got smoked, HAHAHA!" Cyclonus cackled as Demolisher frowned.  
  
"It appears as if the Mini-cons finished what you couldn't." Galvatron said as the seeker stood, supported by Thundercracker. "They disabled an Autobot, temporarily I admit, but none the less they have accomplished more than you all, my pathetic minions."  
  
"What! They killed an Autobot!" Starscream said, his optics wide with shock. "That was supposed to be my victory!"  
  
"Silence, the only reason I tolerate your failure is because I am in a jovial mood, yes!" Galvatron yelled as Starscream stared defiantly. Wheeljack took this opportunity to appear, Wind Sheer in tow.  
  
"My business has been taken care of, and I present you with this, lord Galvatron." Wheeljack smirked sinisterly as Wind Sheer knelt before the tyrant.  
  
"So another Autobot has been severely injured I presume, and you've captured a Mini-con!" Galvatron said, glee entering his voice. "Back to base men, Cyclonus, go to Tidal Wave and return him to base!"  
  
"Yes sir!" Cyclonus saluted smartly as the others departed. "Your high-ass- ness, gahahahaha!"  
  
The slightly mental helicopter transformed and flew to where Tidal Wave was unconscious.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Thrust got up groggily as he looked around. Silence, only the pitter patter of rain to greet the tactician.  
  
"Sideways!" Thrust called out. "SIDEWAYS!"  
  
Pitter patter, pitter patter.  
  
"DAMN YOU!" Thrust cried, rubbing his head as he thought out loud. "The three, three..what?"  
  
Pitter patter, pitter patter.  
  
"Zodiac Mini-cons, this fabled three, sounds like a story tale to me!"  
  
Pitter patter.  
  
"WHY HAVE YOU TOLD ME THIS!!!"  
  
Pitter patter.  
  
Thrust stared into the darkness as rain ran down his face.  
  
Pitter patter.  
  
"Theres got to be something missing! But what?"  
  
Pitter patter.  
  
Thrust snorted aloud before warping away to the base.  
  
Pitter patter.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Skywarp looked around frantically. ~The battle can't be over, can it?~ No explosions, no yelling, nothing. The battle seemed to be over. Skywarp checked his scanners again and again, but there was no bots left to use his newly acquired power on. He checked again. Nothing. Wait! There was a faint signal. Cackling madly, Skywarp flew to the signal. He circled the area, but didn't see anything. Nothing. Just a large mud slide.  
  
"Hello!?" He called down.  
  
Silence.  
  
"Damn it!" He cried, giving up and warping away. As he dematerialized, a white fist came out of the mud slide. The hand pushed mud aside as a large wing shot out of the mud, followed by another and the red and gold visage of the Autobot vicecommander.  
  
"Slotting hell, I'm gonna be clogged for weeks." Jetfire spat as he pulled himself out of the mud. He looked around, looking for anyone.  
  
"Jetfire to anyone, come in."  
  
Static.  
  
"Damn!" He scanned the area, and transformed, flying over the field as he picked up a hailing from base.  
  
"Jetfire? Do you copy?" It was Scavenger.  
  
"Yeah, I read you." Jetfire responded. "What'd I miss?"  
  
"Oh not much, Smokescreen getting run through on the Star Sabre, with no one holding it."  
  
"WHAT!"  
  
"Red Alert is still out there, the storm interfered to much with our computers to warp you guys back, I'm send his coordinates now, find him and get back here ASAP."  
  
"I'm going, I'm going." Jetfire cut the transmission. "DAMN DECEPTICONS!"  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Prowl stretched as he rose from his perch, Backtrack also rising.  
  
"/Anyone notice what Smokescreen grabbed before he went offline?\" The green Mini-con asked.  
  
"Nope, but with that, the Autobots have one of the three, the Decepticons another, and the third has gone rouge." Prowl surmised. "Unicron should find this interesting indeed."  
  
"/I'd imagine, that was an impressive fight.\" Backtrack reflected.  
  
"Oh yes, and they will become even more brutal, that can be assured." The owl said, warping out, his Mini-con following.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
DONE! And not as early as I wanted to promise, but its still here. I'm graduated, whoooo! And I now have a job!! So I'm still screwed for time, delightful eh? I'll try to get the next one up as soon as possible, but this series is culminating, and I'm probably going to end and start a book two here fairly soon. I've also got another fic I'm wanting to do, along with the fact I should update Rumble and Frenzy's Excellent Adventures. So much to do. Anyway, Reviews! I love them, they motivate me, make me get chapters up sooner, so you know what to do! lol what are you waiting for? Anyway, next time look for lots of wonderful angst if everything goes to plan and I don't change my mind halfway through. Thanks for reading and hopefully reviewing! 


	8. Rekindle My Spark

Grand Canyon, USA, Earth  
  
Cyclonus zipped through the stormy skies, easily dodging bolts of lightning. The helicopter was complaining and making jokes to himself, the jokes being accompanied by the Decepticon's maniacal laughter. Crumplezone muttered something about rain sucking, while Drill-Bit tried to console him. Lightning danced across the canyon as Cyclonus scanned for the prone form of Tidal Wave.  
  
"How hard is it to find a massive purple Decepticon!?" Cyclonus sputtered to himself. The lightning illuminated the area, showing Tidal Wave collapsed in a pile of mud. Cyclonus chuckled and transformed, Crumplezone and Drill-bit doing likewise. The giant was starting to stir, but Cyclonus noticed something different. "Hey weren't you bigger?"  
  
"Resizing circuit overloaded." Tidal Wave responded as he sat upright, sparks flaring from his head. "Couldn't retain larger size."  
  
"Sucks to be you." Crumplezone snorted as the warship got to his feet.  
  
"Galvy sent me to retrieve your sorry carcass, we throttled the Autobots good." Cyclonus chortled. Tidal Wave, now only standing about twice of Cyclonus's height, merely wiped mud off his chassis as he pried the large detonated shell from his chest. Drill-bit cringed as mech fluid spat out of the hole left by the shell, Tidal Wave barely noticing.  
  
"We have visitors." Tidal Wave stated as he fired a salvo west from their location. Cyclonus looked at him funny, then gasped as three forms arced over the horizon. The lightning lit up the sky again, revealing a sleek jet, a large bomber, and a massive locust closing in on them.  
  
"Meh, pathetic Unicron spawn, let's waste em Cyclonus!" Crumplezone whooped as he changed into a miniature tank, firing wildly. Cyclonus let loose a salvo from his gauntlets before transforming, letting Drill-bit and Crumplezone dock as he flew at the aggressors. Smokejumper banked right hard, letting his own missiles fly as Cyclonus's missed. Dreadwind's gattling gun swung out and let loose a contingent of missiles, causing Cyclonus to shout out as he turned to avoid them. Tidal Wave fired at the missiles, causing most to detonate, flames licking across Dreadwind and Cyclonus's chassis, steam rising as the rain evaporated. Tidal Wave fired again, causing Smokejumper to yell out in panic, grinding against the canyon wall to evade the shots. Scourge landed and transformed behind Tidal Wave, grabbing his pain sticks.  
  
"Surrender to master Unicron's will!" The locust shouted as he hit Tidal Wave square in the back. The warship, not showing any sign of feeling the attack, turned suddenly, swinging his arm right into Scourge. He backpedaled, wings fluttering as Tidal Wave lurched forward for another assault. Smokejumper, landing and transforming, fired repeated shots into Tidal Wave's back with his rather large rifles, this time making Tidal Wave stumble and go to his knee. Scourge then rushed the Decepticon's head with his pain sticks, crying out as Tidal Wave took the first few blows to the head, then grabbed one in his hand, snapping it. Smokejumper fired again, and Tidal Wave fell forward, groaning.  
  
"Don't you freaks ever die!" Cyclonus shouted at Dreadwind, shooting him dead on again, only to have the bomber straighten it's course again, firing with the gattling gun. Cyclonus rammed Dreadwind with Drill-bit, causing Dreadwind to groan, but not knock him out of the sky. Dreadwind suddenly transformed, grabbing the bottom of Cyclonus and firing up into him. The helicopter shrieked as he plummeted, Dreadwind transforming again and escaping the crash. Cyclonus transformed before landing in an unconscious heap, both of his Mini-cons attached to his arms, also nonfunctional. Dreadwind, assuming robot form again knelt by Cyclonus, checking for vitals.  
  
"He's live." He muttered before shouting to his comrades, still trying to subdue Tidal Wave, who had gotten back to his feet, swinging his arms wildly to keep Smokejumper and Scourge at bay. "I got him, lets bail!"  
  
"Say goodbye to your friend!" Smokejumper chuckled as Dreadwind warped out with Cyclonus's prone form. Tidal Wave grunted and swung again, but missed as Scourge struck him again in the back.  
  
"Don't worry, he'll be in good hands." Scourge taunted as he and Smokejumper warped away. Tidal Wave dimmed his optics.  
  
"Cyclonus." The Decepticon warship said quietly, looking to the stormy sky as he got up once more, sparking violently as the rain washed over his form. Lightning lit the canyon once more before he warped back to base.  
  
Grand Canyon, USA, Earth, Two miles west of previous location.  
  
"He's wakin up!"  
  
"So, g-g-g-get the transporter ready."  
  
"I'ma goin'!"  
  
"We don't have time for this pitiful squabble, we must bring him to master Unicron."  
  
Red Alert groaned as he brought his optic band back online, only to see four yellow forms hovering over him. The one known as Hook watched him quietly, his rifle lined up with his head. Mixmaster was fixing up a device while Long Haul prodded him along, studdering slighty. Scrapper stood on the other side of him. The shortest NeoConstructicon had his arms crossed and a look of disgust crossing it.  
  
"So finally awake? Took long enough." Scrapper snorted as he knelt by Red Alert and cupped his chin. Red Alert fought his urge to back away, convinced further by another glance down Hook's rifle.  
  
"What are you doing here, what do you want?" Red Alert gasped. Scrapper let out a loud laugh, bringing Red Alert's face closer.  
  
"My my, so many questions for one in such a compromising situation, you'll be happy to know, all we really need from you is to be bait. Well that's almost all we need." Scrapper's smirk turned quite dangerous as his finger let a small, needle point probe appear out of it. He scraped it along Red Alert's head almost seductively. "I want all you know about medical procedures, and for that to work, we need you to be awake."  
  
"I can't possibly tell you everything I know!" Red Alert spat nervously. Scrapper flickered his optics as he let the probe dance across Red Alert's head, coming to rest on its point at the side of his head.  
  
"Silly Red Alert, you don't have to tell me a single thing, you may scream if you like though." Scrapper smiled warmly as he jabbed the needle into Red Alert's head, causing the medic to shriek loudly.  
  
One Mile due east  
  
The scream pierced Jetfire's audio sensors, making the spacecraft shudder in the air. "What the hell!? Was that Red Alert?" He asked the darkness, getting thunder and lightning as a reply. He raced across the canyon as fast as a damaged space shuttle could, coming upon Red Alert's growing screams. He spied four yellow robots hunched around Red Alert, the medic's screams growing less and less audible.  
  
"RED ALERT!" Jetfire screamed to his fellow Autobot as he shifted in mid air, letting loose multiple plasma bolts. The NeoConstructicons scattered as Scrapper stayed by Red Alert. Jetfire landed violently near them, mud spattering around as his optics burned brightly.  
  
"What have you done to him you freak!" Jetfire cried out, raising his gun to the short Autobot. Scrapper merely smirked back.  
  
"We had a quaint little chat, then I indulged myself in his pain as I extracted information directly from his cranium." Scrapper said as Jetfire fumed, his plasma cannon glowing, Commettor linked to the top. "Now now, I wouldn't fire, you wouldn't want to hurt your comrade."  
  
"I'm going to enjoy taking your mainframe apart piece by piece you sicko!" Jetfire screamed at him as Scrapper laughed out loud. "And I'm getting sick of that damn laugh of yours!"  
  
"My apologies, he is free to go now." Scrapper said, deactivating the energy bonds holding Red Alert. Jetfire glanced around warily as the three other NeoConstructicons surrounded him. "You on the other hand, well, we're going to have some fun with you."  
  
"Bring it, short-stuff!" Jetfire cried as he turned to Long Haul, firing his charged plasma cannon. He backhanded the charging Mixmaster with his other arm, using the shield mounted on it. Jetfire's momentum was stopped as he grimaced, feeling a laser bolt sear into his back, frying one of his servo motors. His arms sparked as he willed them to spin around, squeezing off a few shots at Hook, who had sniped his back. Scrapper, taking advantage of his opponent's turned back, leapt at him, boring his right bulldozer shoulder pad into Jetfire's back. Jetfire screamed as he hit his hands and knees. Hook walked up to him, putting his concussion pistol to his head.  
  
"Do your worst." Jetfire spat, looking up at Hook defiantly as the NeoConstructicon smirked. Hook slowly squeezed the trigger when Commettor sprang up at his face, causing the shot to fly upward into the sky.  
  
"Leave him alone!" The Mini-con screeched, beating Hook's face in with his odd arms, the yellow crane clawing at his face, trying to pull him off.  
  
"Get off you impudent freak!" Hook cried as Jetfire suddenly lashed out at him, tackling him off of his feet. Scrapper pulled out his dual cannons and blasted Jetfire again, who cried out, spinning as he fell and shooting his plasma blaster. Scrapper dropped down as the bolts flew overhead. Long Haul pried Commettor off of Hook's face, and Mixmaster grabbed Red Alert's prone form, putting his arms in a position to snap the medic's head off.  
  
"Stop right there or dis one gits it!" Mixmaster threatened, holding Red Alert's head at a sharp angle as he began to stir.  
  
"Wait! No.I, I surrender, just let Red Alert go!" Jetfire said, letting his cannon and shield drop, sticking in the mud. Commettor thrashed in Long Haul's grip, flailing his limbs and revving his wheels.  
  
"F-f-f-f-fiesty little critter, isn't h-h-h-h-he?" Long Haul chuckled.  
  
"Let me down you overgrown scrapheap!" Commettor cried.  
  
"That's better Jetfire, Hook, restrain him!" Scrapper ordered, Hook placing energy binds around Jetfire's arms as the white Autobot grumbled. Scrapper motioned for Mixmaster to drop Red Alert.  
  
"Target secured, pull out?" Hook asked, gun trained on Jetfire.  
  
"Indeed, lets go." Scrapper chuckled as Long Haul disappeared with Commettor, and Mixmaster following suit. "This won't hurt one bit." He said to Jetfire.  
  
"Just get it over with." Jetfire spat as he and Hook disappeared. Red Alert, who saw Jetfire disappear, brought himself to his knees as Scrapper regarded him.  
  
"I hope you had fun, I sure did." Scrapper smiled, cupping Red Alert's chin again as he swung out at him. Scrapper blocked it and squeezed his arm, strength betraying his small stature. "We'll play again."  
  
"No! Bring back Jetfire!" Red Alert yelled as Scrapper disappeared from in front of him. "JETFIRE!"  
  
Death Valley, USA, Earth  
  
The small convoy of vehicles pulled up to a massive crag. The sun beat down, heat waves visibly rising as the small vehicles shifted into robots. One of the largest, a yellow and gray SUV, crossed his arms.  
  
"This should be suitable to turn into a base. Mirage and Terradive, you'll go to the nearest human settlement and use the alterations on Mirage's cloak to procure supplies from the humans, Iceberg will hold back five miles from the settlement and help you with the cargo when you return." The one known as Dirt Boss commanded.  
  
"A sound plan, it shall be done, come along Mirage, Iceberg." Terradive bowed before transforming into sleek high-tech jet and flying east.  
  
"Show off." Mirage scoffed as he switched to a bright yellow Indy car and drove after him. Iceberg gave the duo an icy stare before switching to his treaded snowplow mode and lumbering behind them.  
  
"Whatcha got for us boss?" Fetch asked, cracking his knuckles.  
  
"Why did you crack your knuckles?" Downshift asked.  
  
"Umm, dunno, I saw a human do it once, like a ritual before they got to work on something." Fetch shrugged. Downshift looked at him before turning to Dirt Boss.  
  
"Alright, Downshift, I'm picking up a few panels in the area, see what you can retrieve." The Mini-con said, Downshift transforming into a small stock car and jetting off. Dirt Boss then turned to Fetch. "You and me are gonna get our hands dirty, we gotta knock a nice sized hole in this cliff for our base set-up, think you can handle it?"  
  
"No prob." Fetch said, raising his arm mounted rockets and blasting a large area in the crag. Dirt Boss sighed.  
  
"This is gonna be a long day, but we'll make them all pay for oppressing us."  
  
Autobot HQ, Earth, Medical Bay  
  
"This is terrible! I'm a tech, not a medic, this slotting stinks and I can't handle all this at once!" Sideswipe muttered as he patched Smokescreen into life support. He had tied the main fuel line and stopped the leaking, but most of his inner circuitry was trashed. His Spark chamber was still in tact, as were his vital circuits.  
  
"Sideswipe, how is everything coming along?" Optimus Prime asked, coming into the Med Bay.  
  
"I'm doing what I can to stabilize Smokescreen, but there is no chance of me getting him online, we need Red Alert, where the slot is Jetfire!?" Sideswipe griped, getting louder as his irritability grew.  
  
"Just do what you can." Prime said encouragingly, "Jetfire should be back with Red Alert soon, hopefully he won't be to extensively damaged, and will be able to help you out."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, Hot Shot should be fine, I patched his internals back to where they should be..I think." Sideswipe scratched his head. "If I did something wrong, I'll be hearing about it when he wakes up."  
  
"How are our Mini-cons doing?" Prime asked.  
  
"Liftor was linked with Smokescreen when he went down, so, well, how do I explain." Sideswipe contemplated while making a few hand gestures. "Since it was sort of a Spark bond between the two, Liftor felt everything he did, and the damage to the mind and soul actually took physical representation, so he's got the same problem as Smokey, he's gonna need a complete overhaul. The rest were just banged up a bit, I shooed em off to the stock room to bang out each other's dents. I can't begin on Liftor either without Red Alert."  
  
"Hey, if you can't do anymore with those guys, want to try and get my leg working?" Blurr asked impatiently from the bench he was seated in, trying to clean out the mud clogs and repair his knee.  
  
"Oh hell, fine, let me see what I can do." Sideswipe rasped as he finished attaching a few cables to Smokescreen and walked over to Blurr. He kneeled next to the sharpshooter and inspected his knee. After a quick look over, he poked one part. "That help?"  
  
"OW! NO!" Blurr howled as he threatened Sideswipe with his backhand.  
  
"Sheesh! Ok, that?"  
  
"Well it didn't hurt as much."  
  
"That?"  
  
"OW!" Blurr cried as Prime headed out of the room. Prime barely got five feet before his comm crackled to life.  
  
"Optimus, get down to the warp bay now!" Scavenger barked over the comm. Mini-cons could be heard scuffling around as a "Whoa" from Sideways was heard.  
  
"I'm on my way!"  
  
Autobot HQ, Earth, Launch Bay  
  
"Red Alert! Red Alert! Can you hear me!" Scavenger cried to the medic, cradling him in his arms. Sideways knelt down and examined him. Holding his head, he looked at the side.  
  
"Whoa..someone used a neural probe to tap directly into his neural pathways." The double spy exclaimed.  
  
"What the hell does that mean?" Scavenger growled.  
  
"It means he's been mind raped, rather forcefully it seems from the sloppiness of the entry." Sideways replied, regarding Scavenger's mortified look as he continued. "All bets say he was awake and struggling the whole time."  
  
"That's low even for Galvatron!" Scavenger said, shaking Red Alert as he began to regain consciousness.  
  
"That IS to low for Galvatron, I think Prime may have called for the end of the fight to soon." Sideways trailed off.  
  
"Ugh.what happened.where am I..Jetfire! Where's Jetfire!" Red Alert began to shout as he regained his senses.  
  
"We don't know where he is, he was supposed to be retrieving you, but only you showed up." Scavenger explained calmly.  
  
"I know what happened."  
  
Scavenger and Sideways turned to see Long-arm kneeling, sparking from his side as he regarded the two larger bots.  
  
"What? What happened!?" Scavenger asked frantically.  
  
"The NeoConstructicons happened. They got Jetfire, took him captive, got Commettor too." Long-arm grunted as he knelt again.  
  
"Jetfire! No, I couldn't help him, I was used as bait! I.I." Red Alert suddenly stiffened and froze, looking blank.  
  
"What's wrong?" Scavenger asked.  
  
"Nothing..n-n-n-nothing is wrong at all." Red Alert said, almost a whisper. Suddenly Optimus Prime showed up, snapping Red Alert out of his stupor.  
  
"What happened, where's Jetfire!?" Optimus asked, looking around in confusion as Sideways let out a low chuckle.  
  
"Unicron has him, and his little buddy. And looks like they extracted some info from your medic too." The biker stated, Red Alert shuddering involuntarily.  
  
Prime regarded Sideways and Red Alert carefully before saying, "Red Alert, we need you in medical, Sideswipe is overwhelmed in there."  
  
"Ok, I'll be there soon, just, give me a minute." Red Alert said, regaining his composure as he put his focus on something else.  
  
"Take it easy big guy, everything is stabilized, but Sideswipe thinks Smokescreen will need a complete overhaul. You're the only one with the skills to do that." Prime put his hand on Red Alert's shoulder. "Come on, I'll help fix you up a bit before we take you over to medical. Scavenger, get to the control room and scan for Jetfire, we'll need to move as soon as we can to get him back."  
  
"Alright Prime." Scavenger said, watching the two leave, then turning over to Sideways. "Why don't you make yourself useful and gi..Huh?"  
  
Sideways had made himself scarce, leaving Scavenger alone in the launch bay with Long-arm. The green giant glanced over to the sparking Mini-con.  
  
"You need help getting to Medical?"  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
"Suit yourself." Scavenger grunted, heading to the control room. Long-arm watched him leave before mentally cutting off the power flow to his side, causing the sparks to wane. He moved to a mound of mud, left by the returning Autobots as he plunged his arms into it. Digging around a bit, he produced a large blue panel with a stylized M in the middle.  
  
"Thought I sensed you, hmmm.." Long-arm stood for a moment, considering before heading out of the launch bay, Mini-con panel in tow.  
  
Autobot HQ, Earth, Medical Bay  
  
"Let me make an adjustment here and...There! That should do it." Sideswipe proclaimed as he stood up. Blurr looked at Sideswipe with one optic raised behind his amber visor. He slowly stretched his leg, then stood on it, working the joints as he regarded Sideswipe.  
  
"Well..I haven't fallen down, gone into a seizure, or burst into flames..so I guess you did alright." Blurr said, walking a few steps warily.  
  
"Glad I could help!" Sideswipe said, patting Blurr on the back a little to hard, making the blue and gray Autobot stumble forward.  
  
"Hey, easy, I'm gonna find Incinerator, blasted Mini-con, he has working legs, can't even come see his own partner." Blurr muttered, still favoring his right leg as he exited the room. Sideswipe turned to check Smokescreen's monitors as he heard footsteps and the door hiss back open.  
  
"C'mon Blurr, I did all I could to your knee-" Sideswipe started as he looked, but found Sideways leaning against the wall instead. "Oh it's you, I thought Blurr had come back."  
  
"Sorry to disappoint. Red Alert's back, Prime needs your help getting Red Alert fixed up." Sideways said, crossing his arms.  
  
"Really? Where's Jetfire?" Sideswipe asked.  
  
"Gone, NeoConstructicons kidnapped him." Sideways retorted.  
  
"Crap!" Sideswipe sputtered, "Ok, can you watch the monitors while I go see to Red Alert?"  
  
"No problem." Sideways said as Sideswipe nodded and ran out of the room. "No problem at all."  
  
Sideways let out a dark chuckle as he snapped his fingers and Crosswise leapt our of the shadows. Sideways closed the door and opened the security panel. He motioned to Crosswise as the silver Mini-con hopped onto his shoulders and made a few wire connections. The panel sparked slightly as Sideways chuckled and closed the panel.  
  
"Watch the door, I'll take care of the rest." Sideways ordered his Mini- con as he moved to the medical beds. He regarded Hot Shot's prone form with a snort as he came upon Smokescreen's battered body. Sideways dimmed his optics as Rook suddenly tore off of his neck. A faint hissing sound is heard as Sideways' cylindrical head slid into place. Rook stood on the bed besides Smokescreen, peering up at the biker bot with dull optics.  
  
"Ah Smokescreen, the little known Autobot grunt." Sideways purred, his hand running across the crane's battered form. "You'll probably get a medal for this stunt, but nothing more. Barely a mark in the history books."  
  
Smokescreen's blank optics met Sideways' cold visor, and the double-agent let out a laugh.  
  
"Don't worry Smokey, I'm going to make you a much bigger part of this war." Rook climbed up Smokescreen's chest, waving his tiny hands at it as a bright glow was seen under the metal. Sideways continued, placing his hand over the glow. "In fact, you're going to be such a vital piece, that many lives will be changed just by what I give you."  
  
The glow intensified as Rook found the release for the panel on Smokescreen's chest, exposing his Spark.  
  
"Prepare yourself Smokescreen, I'm coming." Sideways crooned as he thrust his hand into Smokescreen's Spark.  
  
Decepticon Moon Base, Warp Chamber  
  
"Guard duty, sheesh! A waste of my time." Demolisher complained.  
  
"Bitch, bitch, bitch." Knock-out muttered from behind a console, working on the warp gate controls. "That's all you do anymore, whadda you think Blacky?"  
  
"Demolisher's speech to bitch ratio: two to twenty." Black-out responded blandly as Knock-out let out a loud guffaw. Demolisher just shook his head.  
  
"I get no respect around here." The tank muttered as the warp gate activated. Rain sprayed from the rift as Tidal Wave stumbled through, running right into the console Knock-out was working on. The Mini-con rolled back as the console sparked.  
  
"Hey watch where you're goin' ya big oaf!" Knock-out spat at the larger bot, wiping the rain off of his frame. Tidal Wave regarded the small robot before stumbling forward towards Demolisher.  
  
"What the slagging heck happened to you, I didn't think the Autobots tore you up that bad!" Demolisher exclaimed, using his lasers in his fingers to quickly fuse some of the worst holes in the large Decepticon.  
  
"Cyclonus.taken by Scourge and the jets," Tidal Wave groaned, "Couldn't stop them."  
  
"Dangit! Black-out, get me some help to get him to the med bay!" Demolisher barked at his Mini-con, who sprinted out of the room. Tidal Wave groaned and jerked a bit as he went into stasis lock. Oil sprayed from a few wounds as Demolisher struggled to reposition the enormous Decepticon, working to stabilize his most extensive injuries, Knock-out muttering something and moving over to help.  
  
Decepticon Moon Base, Medical Bay  
  
"You're a slagging idiot you hear me!"  
  
Skywarp winced as Thundercracker's deep baritone tore through the med bay as he worked on Skywarp's midsection, which had been damaged fairly heavily. Zapmaster was rummaging through some spare parts as Thunderclash watched inquisitively. Buzz-saw, one of the mainstays of the Decepticon medical staff, was working on a new plate of metal for Skywarp's wing.  
  
"Hey I got a Mini-con didn't I?" Skywarp retorted as he winced again. "Ow! Watch it!"  
  
"Shuddup and stop you're whining. You did exactly what I knew you would do, and that something is something very stupid!" Thundercracker roared, "Why do you think I left you home!"  
  
"I can't cut properly with you two bickering!" Buzz-saw cried, throwing his hands in the air.  
  
"You shut up too! Can't you see I'm lecturing a mentally deficient Decepticon?" The blue seeker snapped at the yellow Mini-con.  
  
"Well if you want that retard to fall out of the sky because of a shoddy job on his wing, be my guest!" Buzz-saw snarled, going back to the sheet metal in front of him. Thundercracker made a razzing noise as he went back to work, giving Thunderclash dirty look then pointing to Skywarp's arm.  
  
"You, fix it." Thundercracker ordered the Mini-con, who simply cocked his head at the larger bot. "Ugh, Skywarp, make it work on your arm."  
  
"Thunderclash! I order you to repair my arm!" Skywarp said, as the somewhat large Mini-con shuffled up to him and started mending wires in his wrist. Zapmaster finished his rummaging, grabbing a resizing circuit from the pile and starting to walk off.  
  
"Where do you think you're going!" Buzz-saw demanded, again leaving his work to face the silver Mini-con.  
  
"Um.I was gonna see what Swindle could give me for this hunk of junk." Zapmaster toed the ground innocently. Buzz-saw just snatched it out of his hand and gave Zapmaster a large backhand.  
  
"You idiot, get out of here now, I can't have you stealing valuable medical supplies." The technician cried, and shoved Zapmaster out of the medical bay, right into Black-out, who had come sprinting down the hall.  
  
"Gah! Watch where you're going!" Zapmaster cried, getting knocked on his aft.  
  
"Unit Tidal Wave in need of medical assistance." Black-out reported to Buzz- saw blandly, ignoring the silver Mini-con he just ran over.  
  
"It's gonna be one of those days, isn't it." Buzz-saw spat as he shooed Black-out aside and told him to report to Galvatron.  
  
Throne Room  
  
Galvatron sat on his throne, fingers steepled as he gazed forward, crimson optics blazing. He did not move once as Black-out trotted into the room. "Report."  
  
"Unit Cyclonus captured by Unicron's forces along with Mini-cons Crumplezone and Drill-bit, unit Tidal Wave extensively damaged." The orange and tan Mini-con said.  
  
"So Unicron wishes to increase the wager hmmm? Very well, we shall play. Clench! Report all units fit for low combat duty, Decepticon roster only."  
  
"Thrust, Wheeljack, Thundercracker, and Demolisher are all capable of duty sire." The black and purple Mini-con replied, appearing from the shadows. "It is recommended that Skywarp and Starscream are allowed recovery time from the last skirmish."  
  
"I see, have Wheeljack and Thundercracker report to me, I have a task that requires their immediate attention." Galvatron commanded, dismissing Clench. Turning then to Black-out, he leaned back. "Keep me informed on Tidal Wave's condition, and send Thrust to me in thirty cycles."  
  
"Yes Galvatron." Black-out took his leave.  
  
"I've always loved a three way game, yessss. Now I believe the ball is in your court Optimus, what shall you do with it is the question though."  
  
????????????  
  
"Ha ha ha ha ha..."  
  
"Who's there?!"  
  
Lightning strikes in the distance.  
  
"H-h-h-h-hello?"  
  
"Pathetic fool."  
  
"SHOW YOURSELF!"  
  
Light poured into Smokescreen's vision. He immediately scrambled to his feet as rain and wind battered his form.  
  
"Something..isn't right here." Smokescreen trailed off. "The sky.." Smokescreen looked up, his optics flickering as the rain hit them. The sky was a brilliant azure blue, yet somehow rain came down in buckets.  
  
"You lost or somethin'?"  
  
"Huh?!" Smokescreen backpedaled as he looked down at a small black, blue, and red robot. "Who're you?"  
  
"My name's not important, what's important is that you realize what's happenin 'round ya." The Mini-con spread his arms, as Smokescreen looked around him once more.  
  
"Primus." Smokescreen gasped as he looked around at the charred landscape, lava flowing past him.  
  
"You really should be paying more attention."  
  
"What did you say?" Smokescreen looked at the Mini-con again.  
  
"Wasn't me." It shrugged.  
  
"Jeez! Pay attention." A sharp pain shot though Smokescreen's foot.  
  
"OW!" He looked down to see a white robot, detailed in blue and red. Personally, it was the weirdest damn Mini-con he had ever seen. "Watch it!"  
  
"Don't blame me for your own inattentiveness." It snorted.  
  
"Sheesh, for a little guy you sure are snappy." Smokescreen retorted.  
  
"Hey, now watch!" Black (Smokescreen had no damn clue what to call them) pointed. Smokescreen turned along with White. A blue light tore from the ground, and materialized into the Star Sabre. It danced through the air as Smokescreen gingerly touched his midsection. He winced in pain, but there was no damage on him.  
  
"Funny.I remember now, it went right through me."  
  
"You're not watching!" White exclaimed as Smokescreen looked up, seeing the Star Sabre's blue blade turn to him and shoot forward. Smokescreen cried out and held up his hands defensively, but a blinding yellow light intercepted it. Smokescreen reactivated his optics as he saw a large yellow and black shield before him, crackling with energy as the Star Sabre was halted by it.  
  
"The slag?" Smokescreen said, moving out from behind the shield as Black chuckled.  
  
"Good ole Skyboom, always comes though in the pinch."  
  
"I am so confused." Smokescreen said, resigning himself to whatever insanity was to follow.  
  
"Giving up, that's no good, no good at all." Smokescreen shot looks at Black and White, who looked at each other and shrugged.  
  
"Not another one.." Smokescreen groaned.  
  
"Oh another one indeed!" A mainly blue Mini-con with purple, yellow, and green details hopped onto his shoulder. This one seemed to have a massive cannon for an arm. Smokescreen mentally decided to call this one "Blue".  
  
Suddenly, Optimus Prime and Thrust erupted from the ground. Molten rock spewed forth as the two Transformers landed. Crying out, Smokescreen fell on his aft as Blue fell behind him.  
  
"Hey hey hey!" Can't you keep your balance?" Blue yelped, getting back to his feet as Prime and Thrust each grabbed a Mini-con weapon.  
  
"Optimus! Why are you here? What's with Thrust?" Smokescreen asked frantically, waving his arms at the stotic Autobot commander. Optimus said nothing, holding the Skyboom shield, completely rigid. Thrust did the same with the Star Sabre. Thrust slowly struck at Prime with the Star Sabre, to which Prime easily blocked with the Skyboom. Both crackled faintly with energy as they connected.  
  
"Are you paying attention!" White yelled at Smokescreen.  
  
"I don't think he is, nothin' is gettin' through to him." Black replied.  
  
"SHUT UP!" He yelled at the trio of Mini-cons, who huddled together quickly. Smokescreen was so busy yelling he nearly missed the faint gold sparks emitting from the three. "Hey, what's that?"  
  
"What's what?" Blue retorted.  
  
"You three..you make a weapon!" Smokescreen exclaimed, realization dawning upon him.  
  
"I suppose he's figured us out." White commented dryly.  
  
"Eh wot? Shall we give him a good showin then fellows?" Blue asked his comrades.  
  
"I 'spose we got nothin' better to do." Black shrugged. The three jumped and shifted in midair, snapping together to form a long barreled rifle, comprised of black, blue, and white. Smokescreen flickered his optics and picked it up, examining it. Suddenly, Thrust and Optimus Prime turned to Smokescreen and charged.  
  
"AAHHH!" Smokescreen cried, bringing the Mini-con gun to bear and firing in defense. The blast fizzled on the other two weapons in a glorious seizure inducing light show. All three stood as the weapons crackled with gold energy, Smokescreen just gaping as light shot off in three directions. Sparkplug and Clench appeared in two light streams, glowering at Smokescreen.  
  
"Where did you two come from? Prime?" Smokescreen looked at the still silent Autobot. Thrust and Optimus looked at each other before turning black and dissolving into the landscape. Smokescreen hadn't even noticed that he was in a grassy field now.  
  
"The three have arrived." Clench said, floating in the golden arc.  
  
"Indeed, the twins must arrive, and all shall be one." Sparkplug replied.  
  
"What in the world is going on!!" Smokescreen cried, flailing his arms.  
  
"Don't worry Hoist, all shall be well."  
  
"What, who said that?" Smokescreen looked around as everything faded, and he was on the Moon.  
  
"Your time will come, just remember what you've seen here Hoist."  
  
"Who's Hoist!?"  
  
"Why, that should be simple." The speaker stepped out from behind a crag, a purple and yellow lithe form.  
  
"Sideways!?"  
  
"The answer is simple Hoist." Sideways chuckled as Smokescreen began to scream, his arms shattering to reveal a massive tan and orange backhoe, and another large white arm. His legs shattered to reveal longer, tan legs as his shoulder cannon melted away.  
  
"What's ha.happ..happening.." Smokescreen gasped, falling to his knees as his chest melted away, revealing a white cockpit. He noticed his face was melting away as well.  
  
"He's you."  
  
Autobot HQ, Medical Bay  
  
"AHHH!" Hot Shot screamed as he shot up, a few tubes snapping off his frame.  
  
"AHHH! Damnit Hot Shot! Don't scream like that!" Red Alert shouted back, fumbling with the tool in his hand.  
  
"Bro! You're alright!" Sideswipe exclaimed, jogging over to Hot Shot's bed.  
  
"Wha..What happened?" Hot Shot said, confused as Sideswipe clasped his hand.  
  
"You took a nasty shot from that Decepticon, Wheeljack I think his name was." Sideswipe replied. Hot Shot's optics got a far away look to them as Sideswipe kept going. "Why the heck did you let him shoot you like that bro?"  
  
"Umm.It's nothing, nothing at all." Hot Shot said, coming back to reality as he looked about the room. Red Alert, looking quite paranoid, was slowly working on a massive white arm. "What is that Red?"  
  
"Smokescreen." Red Alert retorted, not looking up.  
  
"What!?" The yellow Autobot cried.  
  
"Yeah, he kinda got messed up really bad, same with Liftor, he won't even wake up until we can get Smokescreen operational again." Sideswipe regarded the orange Mini-con on the table, with pincers on its head.  
  
"That's Liftor!?" Hot Shot sputtered. Sideswipe was about to elaborate more, but Scavenger appeared in the doorway.  
  
"Hot Shot." Scavenger trailed off as he regarded the Autobot. "Hot Shot, Prime wants to see you in his quarters right away."  
  
"Now?"  
  
"It's urgent."  
  
"Ok, I'm going." Hot Shot resigned as Sideswipe returned to help Red Alert. Scavenger followed Hot Shot out, not speaking a word.  
  
Autobot HQ, Stasis Bay.  
  
Long-arm limped into the blackened room, blue Mini-con panel under his arm. He looked up at the two other panels, both blue themselves. Long-arm moved forward, the blue glow of the panels illuminating the room. He got to the middle of the room when he heard a voice.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" A voice demanded.  
  
"What?" Long-arm said, backing up as the lights flipped on. Jolt stood between Long-arm and the panels, arms crossed. Looking behind him, Dunerunner and Ransack stood, blocking the door.  
  
Jolt stared at Long-arm incredulously before speaking. "You were actually going to activate them. You were going to do it weren't you!" Jolt began pointing at him as Dunerunner and Ransack closed in on him.  
  
"Why wouldn't I? You know as well as I do that prolonged stasis is hell!" Long-arm yelled at Jolt, who did not flinch.  
  
"The Autobots would make them fight." Dunerunner said from Long-arm's right.  
  
"They'd be used for what they hate, war!" Ransack added from his left.  
  
"And you were going to sentence them to it!" Jolt said, jabbing his finger into Long-arm's chest.  
  
Long-arm swatted Jolt's hand away, then groaned as he sparked again. "We have no choice! They're our one chance of ending this petty war!"  
  
Jolt threw his hands into the air and paced in front of Long-arm, who grimaced as his side sparked once more. "Who cares!" Jolt cried suddenly. He then pointed to Ransack. "Do you care?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"You?"  
  
"Not a chance." Dunerunner replied.  
  
"Exactly! Let em kill each other, Primus can sort em out! Either way we'll pick off the victor and rise against our oppressors." Jolt preached, flailing his arms to emphasize his point.  
  
Long-arm dimmed his optic and hung his head. "Sparkplug would be ashamed."  
  
"Sparkplug's as much of an idiot as you!" Jolt cried. "He wants the Autobots to win!"  
  
"The Autobots win, WE win!" Long-arm shouted back.  
  
"Wrong! You lose!" Jolt spat as he motioned for Ransack and Dunerunner to grab Long-arm.  
  
"I won't let you do this!" Long-arm cried, tossing the panel in the air and converting to vehicle mode. Jolt summoned his cannon from subspace as Long-arm sped forward, his crane knocking the panel to the others as Ransack and Dunerunner missed him.  
  
"NO!" Jolt screeched as he fired his cannon, Long-arm getting thrown back in mid-transformation. The panels all shimmered and shorted out the lights in the room as three Mini-cons tumbled into a heap on the ground. The black one was the first up.  
  
"All right ye scumbags, I'll bash yer heads in!" He cried as he brandished his fists. He looked around, seeing Long-arm in a sparking heap. The scene was told from the small whisper of smoke curling out of Jolt's cannon. Dunerunner and Ransack stood, frozen in place as Jolt began to stammer something unintelligible. The black Mini-con paid no head as he charged Jolt, a flurry of fists pounding into the helicopter's cherry red armor.  
  
"PAYLOAD STOP!" One of the other Mini-cons cried as he dragged the black Mini-con off of Jolt, who was merely whimpering.  
  
"ATCH! What are ye doin' Skyblast, let me pound his scummy head into the ground!" Payload thrashed in Skyblast's arms as the remaining blue Mini- con ran over to Long-arm, frantically checking for signs of life. The door hissed as it slid open, revealing Sparkplug's small yellow form, being flanked by Grindor, Highwire, and Sureshock. Ransack and Dunerunner slowly became coherent as they took in all the events.  
  
"WHAT THE SLOTTED HECK IS GOING ON IN HERE!" Sparkplug roared as loudly as his tiny body could. Ransack shifted uneasily as Dunerunner edged to the wall. Sparkplug took in the scene, taking a moment to realize a few things.  
  
"Astroscope? Payload? Skyblast?" The yellow Mini-con stammered.  
  
"Get medical support down here!" Astroscope screamed at Sparkplug, not bothering to greet his old friend as he tied Long-arm's fuel lines. Sparkplug hesitated before hitting the comm.  
  
"Sideswipe, we need you, we have a situation!" Sparkplug hailed over his comm.  
  
"What? Now? Can it wai-"  
  
"GET DOWN HERE!" Sparkplug screamed as Sideswipe cut off.  
  
Jolt slowly got to his feet, whole frame shaking as his cannon clattered to the floor. "What have I done..oh Primus..Long-arm...forgive me."  
  
Jolt began to cry.  
  
Decepticon HQ, Barracks.  
  
Thundercracker strode down the hall, looking in the deserted bunkers. "Where the hell is he?" The blue seeker slammed another door shut as he made his way further down the hall. He came to a slow stop as a voice drifted into the halls.  
  
"And there came a hero who said: 'Hurt not the Earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, nor the very fabric of time.'"  
  
Thundercracker snorted and followed the voice, coming to stop at the entrance. Wheeljack sat, one leg draped over the other as Wind Sheer sat cross-legged before him. Bonecrusher was leaning on the wall, completely entranced. Wheeljack glanced to Thundercracker before looking down into the book on his lap and finishing the passage.  
  
"But the hero would not prevail, nor would he surrender."  
  
"Never thought of you as the religious type." Thundercracker remarked as Wheeljack closed the book.  
  
"You've never read the Covenant of Primus?" Wheeljack said, a glimmer of amusement on his face.  
  
"Nope, never believed in that stuff." Thundercracker replied.  
  
"That's a shame." Wheeljack stood and placed the Covenant of Primus on his desk as Bonecrusher and Wind Sheer rose.  
  
"Never get tired of that stuff, really inspires a bot." Bonecrusher said as he nodded to Wheeljack and left. Wind Sheer simply looked to Wheeljack. Thundercracker noticed this.  
  
"What's his problem." The seeker pointed to the Mini-con.  
  
"His core programming was wiped during stasis, he has to learn from scratch." Wheeljack explained, patting Wind Sheer on the head.  
  
"So you feed him that mumbo jumbo." Thundercracker scoffed.  
  
"Maybe to you, but some of us have taste." Wheeljack glared. "Are you here for a reason?"  
  
"Oh yeah, we gotta report to Galvatron, he's got some busy work for us." Thundercracker responded as he started to walk off.  
  
"Oh joy, wonder what we get to do now?" Wheeljack replied to no one in particular, and upon seeing Wind Sheer's cocked head, he put the Mini-con on his shoulder and followed.  
  
Autobot HQ, Optimus Prime's Quarters.  
  
Hot Shot slowly entered Prime's office. Classical music sauntered out of the room as Scavenger stood at the doorway, closing it when Hot Shot got through the door. Prime was seated, looking out the only window in the Autobot base. A small portion of the ship jutted out of the mountain, covered by vast overgrowth and ferns. The window was installed by Prime himself, and he would spend a few cycles a day gazing out lost in thought. Rain pelted the window, cascading down, forming a liquid curtain.  
  
"I've been expecting you Hot Shot." Prime said, not looking from the window.  
  
"What is this about, sir?" Hot Shot said.  
  
"You tell me Hot Shot, please."  
  
"Sir?"  
  
The rain picked up in tempo, drowning out the classical music play as Prime rose from his seat, not yet turning.  
  
"Who is Wheeljack?"  
  
"I beg your pardon sir?"  
  
Prime suddenly turned, smashing his fist on the desk. "Don't take me for a fool Hot Shot, why did you let Wheeljack shoot you out there, with no effort to fight back. Not only did you put yourself in harms way, you jeopardized the whole battle by taking yourself out of the equation. Did you even see Smokescreen!?"  
  
"But sir, I, I."  
  
"But nothing! I don't care what you and Wheeljack's past may be, you wear one sigil, and he wears the other. That means you point your gun at him and shoot and he does likewise. I don't think you fully understand what you may have cost us Hot Shot. Do you know where Jetfire is?"  
  
Hot Shot looked into Optimus's optics, seeing for the first time a very tired and very stressed soul behind them. "I just recently came back online sir, I have-"  
  
"Unicron has him, and Commettor too. If they're even still alive, they're sitting in the brig of a planet eater, awaiting who knows what torture." Prime watched Hot Shot's reaction before continuing. "I had to have Sideswipe and Scavenger guard your ungrateful body, that's two men I spent protecting you that could have been helping Smokescreen or Jetfire, we had to rush out with you and Smokescreen so quickly that we couldn't even search for Red Alert of Jetfire. According to Sideways, Red Alert had data unwillingly extracted from his cranium, and he won't even speak about it now, he's a nervous wreck!"  
  
Hot Shot took a deep breath, on the verge of breaking down. "I'm so sorry, but, I couldn't just let what I did to Wheeljack go unpunished!"  
  
"So what you did in the past was worth the wellbeing of all of my troops-My friends!" Prime cried.  
  
"No! I didn't mean for this to happen, I just couldn't bear the thought of Wheeljack switching sides.All because of me! I wanted to get rid of the guilt! I never would have wanted this to happen, never!" Hot Shot cried out, dropping to his knees.  
  
Prime just glared before turning back around, sighing as he sunk into his seat. "Report to Sideswipe, he has the briefing for your next mission."  
  
"I'm so sorry."  
  
"Out."  
  
Hot Shot whimpered, pulling himself to his feet and walking out the door. Scavenger stood there, a solemn look on his face. "I suppose you're going to tell me this is all my fault too!" Hot Shot spat, his voice betraying his broken spirit.  
  
Scavenger frowned and dimmed his optics. "These are desperate times Hot Shot. In such a desperate situation, one cannot afford to be compassionate, or think only of themselves. The team must prosper to survive." The green Autobot then stalked off down the hall, leaving Hot Shot to his grief.  
  
????????????????  
  
"Ohhh my achin motherboard." Jetfire's optics reactivated suddenly. The room he currently resided in was a splash of dull gold and yellow. "Any one in here?"  
  
"Wow, of all the bots I coulda expected, I would have never expected you."  
  
Jetfire spun around to see Cyclonus sitting in the corner, a small form cradled in his arms. Jetfire looked closer and realized it was Crumplezone, but now a mix of green, black, and silver for his coloration. "What did they do to him?"  
  
"I heard something about "Powerlinx Experimentation" from one of those yellow goons. They just took off with Drill-bit and your munchkin after they brought back Crumplezone." Cyclonus replied, the usual malice in the Decepticon's voice gone. "I assume we're next after they get done with the Mini-cons."  
  
Jetfire stood and examined the cell. "How long have we been here?"  
  
"I have no clue, my internal chronometer has been on the fritz since they dropped me in here."  
  
"How did we get in here? I don't see an entrance or anything."  
  
"Beats me, I think we were warped in."  
  
Jetfire turned to the Decepticon again. "Am I actually holding a conversation with you, and not trading insults?"  
  
Cyclonus let a slight chuckle escape his vocalizer. "Yeah, being cellmates will do funny things to you I guess."  
  
The two sat in silence for many cycles until a flash of light caught their attention. Dreadwind, Smokejumper, Maelstrom, Slipstream, and Sensor all stood before them, the latter two pushing Drill-bit and Commettor forward. Drill-bit, now green, black, and orange, collapsed immediately. Commettor, now predominately white, rolled into Jetfire's arms.  
  
"Awful..so..terrible.don't...don't let them take me back!" Commettor cried to Jetfire as he calmed the Mini-con down.  
  
Smokejumper prodded Jetfire with the end of his rifle. "On your feet!" He commanded as Jetfire complied, glaring at the small Decepticon as he rose to about twice his height. Smokejumper involuntarily backed up, holding his rifle torso level to Jetfire. "T-t-t-to the warp gate..NOW!"  
  
Dreadwind chuckled as he pushed Cyclonus forward. "Isn't stuttering Long Haul's thing?"  
  
"Shut up!" Smokejumper cried back as they prepared for the warp jump. Maelstrom hovered up and punched a combo into a keyboard, taking them all to another part of the ship, leaving Commettor alone with two unconscious Mini-cons.  
  
"Jetfire..please...comeback.."  
  
Death Valley, USA, Earth  
  
Terradive and Mirage strode into the now very large cave that was once just a massive cliffside. Iceberg drove a good deal behind them, pulling a massive skiff of assorted materials. Dirt Boss was standing with Downshift, Fetch, and a white and blue Mini-con.  
  
"Dirt Boss, we return." Terradive announced, causing an attention shift.  
  
"Ah good! And you're just in time to see us reactivate more comrades!" Dirt Boss exclaimed, a bit excited. Mirage and Terradive strode over to where the new Mini-con was fiddling with four Mini-con panels on the ground.  
  
"Just about got them, should activate any second now." The white Mini-con said cheerily.  
  
"Good job Makeshift." Downshift said as the panels began to activate. The first panel revealed a stout red bot, having white accents on two large shoulder units. The next revealed a large gray Mini-con, with bright yellow cannons sticking from his back. The third was a lithe and orange one, with wheels on his legs and chest. Last, a jagged gray, gold, and blue Mini-con stood before them.  
  
"I am Dirt Boss, leader of the Mini-con resistance. I welcome you brothers." The large race team Mini-con announced.  
  
"Resistance eh? I like the sound of that, damn larger Cybertronians have pushed us too far! I'm Dualor, and I'll give you all the firepower you'll need." The gray one shouted enthusiastically.  
  
"Name's Firebot." The red one quipped, looking around at the large cave.  
  
"Oval here, reconnaissance expert." The orange one said, looking disinterested.  
  
"Thunderwing reporting, aerial assault." The gray and gold one said.  
  
"Excellent! Welcome, together, we'll free all Mini-cons, let no one, Autobot or Decepticon, stand in our way!" Dirt Boss exclaimed as the rest cheered. Mirage and Downshift hung to the back slightly.  
  
"He sure can give speeches." Mirage said, cupping his chin in his claw.  
  
"Yeah, good thing he has us around for the technical stuff though." Downshift replied as he looked over the materials Mirage had procured. "We still got a long ways to go to be operational. We need this base to be fully functional before we can even think of stopping the Autobots and Decepticons from getting more of us."  
  
"True, true." Mirage replied. "I suppose we should get to work."  
  
The two looked at each other, and with a sigh, turned to work.  
  
Decepticon Moon Base, Throne Room.  
  
Galvatron activated his optics when he heard footsteps. Wheeljack knelt before him, Thundercracker standing not to far away with his arms crossed. Galvatron ignored this act of defiance as he rose. "I have a task for the two of you, if you already didn't assume that."  
  
Thundercracker snorted.  
  
Galvatron snapped his fingers, causing a display to come up to the left of the room. A large holo-map was displayed, a small light blinking. "This is your objective, move in quickly, without alerting the Autobots, this is of the utmost importance."  
  
Wheeljack and Thundercracker wordlessly studied the screen. Thundercracker took a few steps closer, his optics widening. "A Mini-con signal of that proportion. You don't mean.." He trailed off, looking at Galvatron, gaping.  
  
"Yesss. Now go! Take Wind Sheer and Zapmaster, and move!" Galvatron commanded, both Decepticons bowing and walking quickly out of the room. Wheeljack looked at Thundercracker as they walked.  
  
"What in the world are we looking for?" The black Decepticon asked.  
  
"You'll find out, and hope we get there first." Thundercracker responded, quickening his pace.  
  
Galvatron smiled as the two exited. He pressed a button on his throne, causing Thrust and Starscream to enter from the other side of the room. "Well?"  
  
"We've found a few key pockets of Mini-cons, but it appears as a good half of the panels have been salvaged." Starscream replied flippantly.  
  
"I see, so you are positive that this must be it?" The tyrant asked.  
  
"Yes sir, it has to be, unless it was destroyed in the crash, this has to be it." Thrust responded.  
  
"Excellent, Starscream, when Tidal Wave is repaired, have him salvage the submerged Mini-cons we've detected. Until now there has been no way to retrieve them, but now is as good of time as any." Galvatron commanded the red seeker, who simple sneered, then saluted and stalked out of the room.  
  
"He's getting harder to control, sire." Thrust commented after Starscream had left.  
  
"I know, he may have to be dealt with soon, but for now, keep the operation going, we must gain the upper hand in this war, no matter the cost. And if it means returning to Cybertron and bringing every Decepticon on the planet to this bleak little world, so be it!" Galvatron slammed his fist on the throne, emphasizing his point.  
  
"Yes sire." Thrust bowed before leaving Galvatron to his musings.  
  
Autobot HQ, Medical Bay.  
  
"Are you sure you don't want me to tell Prime?" Sideswipe asked the small yellow transformer in front of him.  
  
"This is a Mini-con matter, just fix up Long-arm." Sparkplug said quietly. Sideswipe shrugged and went back to work as Sparkplug strode out of the medical bay and down the hall. Astroscope waited for him, arms crossed. The blue Mini-con started walking with Sparkplug as he passed.  
  
"So," Astroscope began, "Not the best way to catch up it seems."  
  
"Not at all." The yellow Mini-con responded.  
  
They walked in silence, entering the Mini-con quarters wing. Ransack and Dunerunner were quietly cleaning the walls with small brushes, made for a human's teeth. Skyblast and Spiral were updating a few computers as Payload stood watch over Jolt. The red Mini-con sat slumped over, making no sounds save the occasional whimper. Grindor, Highwire, and Sureshock discussed the fate of the helicopter in a sealed room.  
  
"I sent Rollbar to inform Prime of our presence, but I told him not to divulge our little "ability." Astroscope told Sparkplug.  
  
"Good, although I'm sure Prime would want to use it, he wouldn't force you, although, things are getting that bleak." Sparkplug replied somberly. "When did we get so bad Astroscope? When did we have to begin fighting each other just because of this stupid war?"  
  
Astroscope sat with a heavy sigh. "I don't know, I don't know."  
  
The sound of a door hissing made everyone's attention snap to the trio of Mini-cons coming into the room. Sparkplug lifted his head heavily. "Well?"  
  
Highwire scanned the room before meeting optics with Sparkplug. "We have reached a decision." He said before shooting into the air with Grindor and Sureshock. A few moments and contortions later, the trio combined into the entity known as Perceptor.  
  
"We have come to a feasible conclusion." The Mini-con Gestalt spoke as he crossed his arms. "The Mini-con Jolt, is charged with assaulting a fellow Mini-con, causing very serious damage, and three accounts of preventing release from stasis."  
  
Jolt whimpered.  
  
"However, we sympathize with Jolt's intentions, but his methods were unjust. Everyone does not want more of our brethren used as mere weaponry by Autobot or Decepticon. This does not justify lashing out at a fellow Mini-con however. Jolt will be confined to base unless under the most dire circumstances, and will aid in the repair of Long-arm, and aid him in anyway possible during recovery. Monitor duty will also be taken over by Jolt for twelve solar cycles." Perceptor declared.  
  
Jolt blinked. "What? That's all?"  
  
"We see no other reason to punish you further, and lack the malice to perform any unjust or cruel sentences." The giant spoke, unfazed.  
  
"Alright..I'll do my best to make amends." Jolt whispered.  
  
Perceptor smiled. "That pleases us." With that, the giant disassembled into his component parts. Sparkplug let out another sigh as he leaned back.  
  
"Alright everyone, take the rest of the day off, just drop what you're doing, it can wait, even you two." Sparkplug pointed to Ransack and Dunerunner, who both collapsed and chucked their toothbrushes aside. "Jolt, I want you to report to medical and see if you can help out, other than that, everyone just relax. We need it"  
  
Autobot HQ, Lounge  
  
Sideswipe fell to the couch with a groan. "What a freaking day this has been, and I have to go out on the field too!" Sideswipe sunk farther into the couch as Nightbeat hopped up besides him.  
  
"Are you done bitching?" The Mini-con inquired.  
  
"No, as a matter of fact I'm not!" Sideswipe retorted, playfully pushing Nightbeat to the other side of the couch. Hot Shot trudged in after a few more cycles.  
  
"Hey." Hot Shot said sullenly, sitting in a chair.  
  
"Meeting with Prime not go so well bro?" Sideswipe asked as he settled back down in the chair.  
  
"You could say that. He said you got our assignment." The yellow Autobot replied.  
  
"Yeah, you're gonna love this one, we have to go investigate a massive energy signature in the jungle. He wants us out there in a Megacycle, stealth is of the utmost importance." Sideswipe sighed.  
  
"Just you and me?" Hot Shot asked.  
  
"Oh this is the part you're gonna love, us, Nightbeat here, and your favorite headmaster."  
  
"For Primus's sake..." Hot Shot groaned. "He's sending Sideways with us?"  
  
"Someone say my name?"  
  
Two Autobots and a Mini-con swerved their heads to see Sideways leaning in the doorway, Crosswise perched on his shoulder. Sideswipe let off a nervous chuckle. "Oh hiya Sideways, we were just err.talking about you."  
  
"All good things I hope." Sideways said, walking further into the room. "I got the mission from Prime, shall we ladies?" Sideways gestured to the door.  
  
"Oh why the hell not, I've only been working all day in medical, might as well get shot at again before the day is over too." Sideswipe moaned as Nightbeat jumped to his shoulders.  
  
"Didn't I tell you to stop that." Nightbeat scolded.  
  
"Shut up." The sedan replied. Hot Shot gave Sideways a quick glare before walking out of the room. Sideways chuckled and followed.  
  
Unicron  
  
"AARRRRRGGHHHHHHHH!"  
  
"M-m-m-m-must he do that?" Long Haul muttered as Scrapper worked a large console. Jetfire screamed repeatedly in agony as small probes supercharged parts of Jetfire's circuitry. The Autobot vice-commander was strapped down onto a horizontal table, spread out and many vital components exposed. Wires and sharp metal probes intertwined his body as Scrapper turned a dial up on the console, causing the connections to shudder and send more power into Jetfire's frame. Parts of his body fluctuated colors as he screamed.  
  
"The process seems to be working on the larger Cybertronians as well. It is just taking longer than we expected." Scrapper thought aloud. Long Haul frowned and kept watching the gauges as Scourge strode in. Scrapper looked up in annoyance. "Well?"  
  
"The Decepticon has nearly been completed. His body, while smaller than the Autobot's, could take a tremendous amount of power surges before his superstructure had to alter to compensate." The locust replied.  
  
"I see, once this one is finished, we may compare all of our findings, and upload the finished process directly to Unicron." Scrapper smirked. "Then he should be able to do this process himself, and much more accurately, given his 'powers'."  
  
Scrapper and Scourge looked up at one of the monitors, which revealed a mostly green Cyclonus strapped up in a similar fashion as Jetfire. Hook stood at the moniter, controlling the power surges that racked Cyclonus's body. The Decepticon had stopped screaming, only flinching when Hook turned up the dial.  
  
"That one is no where near as fun as the Autobot." Scourge chuckled. "This one makes more noise." To emphasis his point, he turned up the dial.  
  
"AAAAARRRRGGGHHHHH!"  
  
"Yes, we are almost done it seems, send Prowl to report to master Unicron that we're almost ready for the final phase." Scrapper said as Scourge nodded and walked out of the room.  
  
Central America, Exact Location Unknown  
  
White hands brushed aside the overgrowth on the side of the structure. Rain was pouring heavily still, something which irritated Thundercracker greatly. Wheeljack cleared more brush away as Thundercracker miserably huddled under the vast tree cover.  
  
"Can you hurry it up, it's wet out here." Thundercracker complained. "And with all these trees, flying is out of the question too."  
  
"This would go faster if you helped." Wheeljack snorted, looking for an entrance big enough for them. "I sent Zapmaster down one of the smaller entrances, he should be back any minute."  
  
"He damn well better hurry." Thundercracker growled.  
  
"So why am I searching for an entrance in this hunk of stone made by some flesh-bag who knows how long ago?" Wheeljack asked.  
  
"Ah, yes you were probably to young or not even online yet during that phase of the Great War." Thundercracker leaned back against his tree. "Well I might as well tell you, seeing as how this rain doesn't want to stop."  
  
"Oh? Well spit it out already then!" Wheeljack said, getting irritated with the structure.  
  
"Alright, alright. It was way back in the early phases of the war, when the Mini-cons had just appeared. Both factions were experimenting with Mini-cons left and right, trying to think up new ways to use the critters to power them up. The Autobots came up with a radical theory, involving taking out the head unit of an Autobot and altering a Mini-con to serve as its head. Well before this technology had been perfected, the Autobot's original Vice-commander, Ultra Magnus, was mortally wounded, a freak shot mangling his head and chest. Without much time, they decided that they could repair him if a Mini-con was used to replace his damaged components. They got a volunteer by the name of Rollout. The little guy underwent, from what I've heard, a very painful process to not only transform into Magnus's chest and head, but to merge with his spark, repairing the damage caused to it. When they finally got it done, and had Rollout merge with Ultra Magnus, he was so far gone that both of their sparks merged and formed something completely new. He called himself Overload, guardian of the Mini-cons. When Overload turned into vehicle mode, Rollout would separate and retain most of his old personality, where the shell of Magnus would be no more than a mere drone, requiring Rollout to tow it around. Anyway, when the mass exodus of Mini-cons occurred, Overload went with them, vowing to protect them. And naturally, Rollout was put into stasis with the rest of them. I knew he would be somewhere on Earth, and it appears Galvatron put in some extra effort to find him. Hopefully we can get there before the Autobots and get him on our side, or else the Autobots may just gain the upper hand." Thundercracker sighed. Looking at Wheeljack, who was listening, Thundercracker frowned. "Hey! I never said you could stop working."  
  
"I'm not doing any work unless you help." Wheeljack scoffed, then cupped his chin. "Interesting, interesting, how do you know so much about this Autobot anyway."  
  
"I was the grunt in a stalemated war, had nothing better to do." Thundercracker shrugged, getting to his feet. "Ok you know what, give Zapmaster two cycles, if he ain't back with a good way in, we're blowing a hole in this sucker. Screw Galvatron. I'm sick of this damn rain."  
  
Wheeljack stifled a chuckle then went back to searching the ruins. Wind Sheer swooped down into the canopy and transformed. "Autobots have warped into the area Wheeljack, three strong."  
  
"Shit!" Thundercracker cursed. "We gotta go, now! Zapmaster, where the slot are you?"  
  
"Right behind you?" The silver Mini-con chirped from behind.  
  
"AH! You little piece of scrap, did you find a way in?" The blue seeker snapped.  
  
"There isn't a single place I could find where you two would fit." Zapmaster replied.  
  
"Ah screw it!" Wheeljack spat, taking out one of his oblong yellow guns and sending a bolt into the wall, causing the wall to collapse. "Let's move!" The Ex-Autobot motioned the seeker and Mini-cons into the hole.  
  
On the other side of the ruins, the blast gets the attention of the Autobots.  
  
"What was that?" Hot Shot asked.  
  
"Sounded like an energy discharge." Sideways replied nonchalantly.  
  
"Must have been the Decepticons, that means they got here first." Sideswipe deduced. "We need to get inside, and fast."  
  
"Well maybe we coul-" Nightbeat was cut off as he was flung back by chunks of rock. Sitting up, he spotted Sideways, gauntlets smoking as he climbed in the hole. "Or not."  
  
Back with the Decepticons, Wheeljack took glances at the markings in the structure. "This must have been some sort of temple."  
  
"Brilliant deduction. The silly flesh sacks built a shrine to honor the artifacts they found." Thundercracker smirked as he looked over the markings.  
  
"These look like they foretold destruction and death to whoever disturbed these ruins." Wheeljack said, pointing to a few more inscriptions. "This Overload must have been one major fighter."  
  
"You have no idea, none at all." Thundercracker replied quietly. The two stalked forward deeper into the ruins, passing multiple pictures of humans worshipping a massive fiery entity, eyes ablaze with the same fires it created.  
  
"This is creeping me out." Zapmaster muttered as he and Wind Sheer followed the Decepticons. The halls lead to a massive altar room, and in it, a large Mini-con panel was attached to the wall.  
  
"This is it!" Wheeljack cried, right before the wall behind him crumbled.  
  
"Stop!" Hot Shot cried. "We won't let you get this Mini-con!"  
  
"Ha! If only it was just a Mini-con!" Thundercracker declared. "Either way, you aren't touching it, Zapmaster, POWERLINK!" The silver Mini-con transformed after leaping to Thundercracker's back, linking and activating the seeker's electro-cannons. The cannons sparked as he let loose a torrent of energy. All three Autobots dodged as Nightbeat transformed and drove at Wind Sheer, snapping back to robot mode and tackling the Mini-con. Wheeljack flipped forward both of his blasters, laser bolts flying from them as he brought them to bear. Hot Shot took a shot to the chest before growling and drawing his hand gun.  
  
"You aren't getting the best of me this time Wheeljack, you should have finished it!" The yellow Autobot snarled.  
  
"Poor Hot Shot, I'm really trying to feel sorry for you." Wheeljack retorted, snapping his arm to the right and shooting Sideswipe in the leg. "Oh no you don't!" Sideswipe fell to the ground with a cry and brought his handgun up, snapping off a few shots. Wheeljack took a shot to the chest as he moved back. Sideways shot forward as he dodged the bolts of electricity Thundercracker was sending his way.  
  
"Stand still damnit!" Thundercracker cried, letting his cannons fold back as Sideways closed the gap. Sideways threw a couple of high kicks at the seeker, who dodged as his wing shone bright blue. The wing flipped ninety degrees as a handle jutted from the bottom. Dodging another kick, he grabbed the handle and swung the wing out in a smooth outward arc, causing Sideways perform a back-flip, dodging the wing as it unfolded into a sword. Thundercracker smirked as he grasped the hilt of his blade, feigning at Sideways as the double-spy looked for an opening. Thundercracker lunged forward, grazing Sideways' chest as he sidestepped and grabbed the seeker's forearm. Kneeing it, Thundercracker yelled out and dropped the sword. Sideways rolled on the ground and grabbed the sword, holding it in both hands. The sword was quite large compared to the lithe purple motorcycle, but he gracefully slashed and swiped at Thundercracker. Sideways swung the sword over his head in a downward arc, but Thundercracker grasped the blade with the palms of his hands, grabbing the sides of the sword. Smirking, he shot a salvo of lasers from his chest at Sideways, who gasped and flew back. Tossing the sword back into the air, the midnight blue seeker caught the handle and assumed a battle stance.  
  
"Impressive." Sideways chuckled as he rose from the small crater he created. "But your friend looks to be having trouble." Thundercracker looked to the side to see Wheeljack getting tackled by Hot Shot, as Sideswipe was limping to the altar. Thundercracker turned back to see a light gray fist barrel towards his face. He tumbled back as Sideways chuckled and kneeled down. Crosswise appeared, darting out of the shadows. "Well?" The silver Mini-con shook its head. "Damnit I was sure that these ruins would have something on it, oh well, get out, we'll handle the rest." Sideways sighed as Crosswise disappeared again.  
  
Wheeljack had dropped his guns and was fending off punches from Hot Shot. Suddenly, Wheeljack transformed, shifting into a black sports car and tearing away from Hot Shot, throwing the yellow Autobot off. "Hah! Wind Sheer, Powerlink!" Wheeljack declared as Wind Sheer delivered a straight uppercut to Nightbeat and transformed, quickly swooping over to the Decepticon and linking to his roof. Wheeljack's doors swung up and the cannons inside fired, hitting Hot Shot dead on. Hot Shot cursed and tried to rise to his feet.  
  
"I'll never surrender, so do your worst...Decepticon." Hot Shot spat, forcing the last word out as he glared at Wheeljack.  
  
"So you finally accept it then, good!" Wheeljack said, switching back to robot mode and grabbing his guns. "Say goodbye Hot Shot."  
  
"Forget about me!" Sideswipe cried as he squeezed off one shot, hitting Wheeljack in the leg. The ebony colored robot groaned and dropped to his knee as Sideswipe reached the panel.  
  
"No!" Thundercracker cried as he stumbled to his feet, flipping his cannons forward again and firing at Sideswipe. The massive electric bolt shattered the altar, sending Sideswipe flying back. Everyone cried out as the whole structure began shaking. A blinding light shorted out all optical sensors temporarily, leaving Autobot, Decepticon, and Mini-con alike disoriented.  
  
"What's happening!" Wheeljack shouted as he limped forward, squinting his optics. As the light dissipated, a very large red and white Mini-con stood in the ruins of the altar. It smirked as the rumbling happened again, to a larger degree. The wall behind the Mini-con suddenly shattered, stone flying everywhere as a massive red weapon battery rolled from the rubble.  
  
"Shit!" Thundercracker said as he fired at the Mini-con. It merely jumped aside and transformed into a transport vehicle.  
  
"Overload! Transform!" The Mini-con shouted as the weapon battery shifted and twisted until it resembled a headless robot. The massive hands picked up the Mini-con and thrust it into the opening in its chest, a blue head flipping up once the connections completed.  
  
"What in the world!" Hot Shot cried as Wheeljack shot furiously at Overload, combining fire with Thundercracker. The optics of the large crimson transformer shone bright green as it punched the oncoming blasts, dissipating them with the power of his punch. Thundercracker and Wheeljack stared slack-jawed as Autobot symbols blazed onto its shoulders.  
  
"Pathetic." Overload snorted as the symbols on his shoulders snapped open, revealing dual missile batteries. Holding out his arms, missiles swarmed out at the Decepticons. Wheeljack took one to the chest as Thundercracker swung at one with his blade, causing it to detonate before him and send him flying.  
  
"Let's bail! He's tearing us apart!" Thundercracker screamed before warping away. Wheeljack cursed loudly and followed suit. Hot Shot gaped as Sideswipe pulled himself from the rubble. Sideways merely chuckled as Sideswipe said one thing.  
  
"Incredible."  
  
Cybertron, Fortress Darkmount  
  
The lights flickered in the dark hallway of the Decepticon's main fortress on Cybertron. Footsteps pierced the silence as an angular copper, black, and blue winged Decepticon made his way down the hall. His face was as white as snow, framed by a twilight black helmet. Yellow optics scanned the hall as he looked for a certain room. This Decepticon was known as Dirge, second in command of the Decepticon forces left on Cybertron. Striding down the hall, he came to two Decepticons standing before a door. The two were slumped over lazily, until one caught sight of Dirge. The two scrambled to attention as Dirge stood before them, optics flickering from one to the other.  
  
"Hailstorm, Cinder, slacking off as usual." Dirge said, full of contempt as he crossed his arms.  
  
"Umm.No, we're just guarding the lab per orders, sir." Cinder, a stout Decepticon who had a color scheme that made him look he was jumped by a few pranksters with buckets of different hues of red paint.  
  
"Right, what he said." The lithe light blue Decepticon with angled wings, otherwise known as Hailstorm, nodded.  
  
"Aside, I must speak to Reptillion." Dirge growled, causing the two Decepticons to edge away as Dirge gave them a final sneer and stepped into the lab. A short green and brown Decepticon was working as a console, growling and banging coming from a large containment field on the other side of the room. Dirge stood and watched as the Decepticon turned a dial, causing the banging and growling to increase. "Reptillion!"  
  
"AHH!" Reptillion spun around, then sneered. "Dirge! What do you want?" Reptillion was very, very ugly. A result from his early organic experiments, he now adorned the features of an Earthen Iguana, pieces mixed and matched with Cybertronian components. His one optic flickered as he glared at Dirge.  
  
"Lord Scorpinok requires an update on the project." The copper Decepticon replied.  
  
"Hehehe, why don't you ssssssee for yoursssssself?" Reptillion smiled, a large set of silver teeth showing on his green face. He hit a panel on the wall, causing the containment field to illuminate. Dirge took a step back as the figure inside roared and lunged. The field crackled and sparked as silver fists beat on it relentlessly. The creature in the field was very imposing, colored dark bronze and silver, with dark green littering his body. Hover fans rested on his back, and large armored shoulder pads sat besides his face, which was riddled with a cruel grin.  
  
"It...goes well then, I assume." Dirge said nervously.  
  
"Yessss, the merging of Cybertronian and organic alloys issss working better than we could have ever imagined. Predacon livesssss to kill." Reptillion declared, steeping his fingers as Predacon performed a lunging kick to the field, clawed foot causing the field to bend slightly as electricity whipped and danced up the technorganic leg.  
  
"How are we to be sure we can control it though?" Dirge asked Reptillion, his smirk fading a bit as he looked to his console.  
  
"Thatsss what I am working on at thissss time, and if you want resssults, I mussst work!" Reptillion stated, turning back to his controls.  
  
"Very well, I shall inform Scorpinok of your developments." Dirge said, giving Predacon one more glance as the large transformer gave him a wicked smile, suddenly calmed from his rage. Dirge quickly left the room, shoving Hailstorm and Cinder out of the way as he made his way back down the hall. Passing the odd Decepticon or two, Dirge finally came to a very large audience room. In the middle of the room was a large throne, the Decepticon sigil prominently displayed above it. The form seated in the throne never failed to impress Dirge however. Large, shovel like hands gripped the armrests of the throne, leading up massive arms attached to the powerful chest of this Decepticon. Massive smoke stacks jutted upwards from his chest, emitting steam every time the he activated his air-intakes. Claws and treads made up his legs, and a massive tail like protrusion rose from his back, the end of the tail containing large lasers. A Decepticon symbol sat dead center on his chest. His face was contorted into a fear inducing scowl, sea green face contained in a gunmetal helmet. He was Scorpinok, leader of Cybertron in Megatron's absence.  
  
"Your report?" Scorpinok said, steam furling from his chest as even his normal voice seemed to make the room vibrate.  
  
"Reptillion says all proceeds accordingly, he should be done on schedule." Dirge replied, kneeling before the massive orange, green, and gunmetal Decepticon.  
  
"Excellent. Megatron will be sorry if he does not return triumphant over the Autobots. My Decepticons grow weary of empty promises, we expect victory, we deserve the universe!" Scorpinok declared, crushing one of the armrests with relative ease. Dirge winced as Scorpinok smiled. "If I must crush Megatron myself, I shall, because I am the only one fitting to lead the Decepticons to victory. Don't you agreed Dirge?"  
  
"Yes my liege, Megatron and his foolish followers will get a surprise upon returning." The copper Decepticon chuckled. Scorpinok chuckled as well and settled back into the throne.  
  
"Things are proceeding as I have foreseen, it is only a matter of time."  
  
Unicron  
  
Jetfire knelt in the containment field. Everything, even things he didn't know he had, hurt. He looked himself over. Large amount of blue had made its way onto his superstructure, including two blue pinstripes going down his chest. He was still mainly white, but blue replaced any red he had, and then some. Unicron's forces were assembled in front of him, Cyclonus, Crumplezone, Drill-bit, and Commettor were all held in containment fields to his side. A viewscreen displaying Unicron's horned visage appeared in front of his forces.  
  
"My minions, the time draws near, we shall soon conquer our enemies, and bring the universe to a new order." Unicron's omnipresent voice reverberated throughout the area. "Scrapper, you and your team have done well, behold, as this technology springs to its peak."  
  
A hatch in the ceiling opened, and light poured down, striking the Neoconstructicons, the Air Assault Team, Dreadwind, and Smokejumper. As the light fizzled into a haze, the stricken bots rose.  
  
"I..I have never felt such power." Scrapper said, looking at his hands. "Remarkable, there is no change in my appearance, yet, I can feel it."  
  
"A reward for a job well done my minions. Now, my minions, you need a leader, to crush all opposition. Step forward, Scourge!" Unicron commanded.  
  
"Yes sire." The locust stepped forward, kneeling.  
  
"Your reward awaits." Unicron said as a beam of light struck Scourge, but unlike the rest, his body started to change shape. "With the visage of our enemy, you shall strike fear into the hearts of all." Scourge gasped and sputtered as all of his features became more smooth and mechanical. Wheels adorned his legs and shoulders, a grill forming his chest. His back looked like the top of a truck, and his arms had gauntlets that ended in laser cannons. His colors settled on jet black, teal, and smoke gray. As he rose to his feet, Unicron spoke. "Arise, my Nemesis Prime, arise to strike down your foes."  
  
"I live to only serve you, master Unicron." Scourge, a dark version of Optimus Prime, pledged, kneeling again.  
  
"Despair, you shall be his instrument of destruction." Unicron stated as the black Mini-con floated forward. The light struck him, and he contorted into a dull silver, angular Mini-con. He quickly shifted into a jet that had purple trim on the wings before changing again into a rifle that fell into Scourge's hand. "Despair shall run over any opponents before you Scourge."  
  
"Finally, I come to you Prowl." The owl shifted as Unicron's horned visage pierced to his spark. "I grow tired of your passiveness, and your games. Using your shell, I shall mold a lieutenant for my champion."  
  
"But master Unicron, I have never done anything but served you loyally, and ARGGH!" The light consumed Prowl, his body contorting, wings disappearing and his body becoming sharp in general. He collapsed, the light fading as a light green and orange figure rose, sharp wings jutting from the forearms, and a sharp scowl on his face.  
  
"Arise Terrorsaur, and fill the skies with fear once more." Unicron announced.  
  
"My existence is only to destroy your enemies, master Unicron." The newly christened Terrorsaur knelt, pledging his loyalty.  
  
"Now, the universe shall truly know chaos." Unicron chuckled. Suddenly, Smokejumper's prone body flew to the front of the crowd. "WHAT!"  
  
"FREE! HAHAHAHAH! EAT LASER!" Cyclonus shouted, his bonds suddenly disappearing. The bright green Decepticon showered the crowd with lasers as Crumplezone and Drill-bit joined him, linking to his legs to bring his knee cannons into the fray. Jetfire burst from where he was once held, screaming as he fired madly at Scrapper in particular, Commettor linked to his plasma cannon.  
  
"How did they escape!" Hook cried as he shot at the would-be prisoners. It didn't last long however, as Long Haul and Dreadwind were rendered unconscious. A single blast from the front of the room caused Cyclonus to howl in pain and favor his leg.  
  
"Prepare to die, insolent ones." Scourge said, Despair's cannon smoking.  
  
"Bring it on." Jetfire said menacingly, bludgeoning Hook with his shield, causing the Neoconstructicon to slump to the ground. Cyclonus on the other hand, had enough.  
  
"I think this party is getting a little too hot for us!" The Decepticon called out, firing at Scourge as he kicked down a door.  
  
"You got a point." Jetfire said, laying down a wide spread plasma bolt as he flew to the door. Cyclonus flew ahead, blowing open anything that lies in his way between him and freedom. Jetfire followed a little ways behind. Terrorsaur, who until now had done nothing but watched, rocketed forward, shifting to pterodactyl mode as he pursued the Autobot. Cyclonus made it to the outer walkway, and moved aside as Jetfire burst through backwards, Terrorsaur latched onto his shield. Cyclonus kicked Terrorsaur off and Jetfire shifted into shuttle mode.  
  
"Get in!" Jetfire told Cyclonus.  
  
"What?" The Decepticon responded, Mini-cons unhooking and running inside.  
  
"You heard me, get your sorry arse in before I change my mind."  
  
"Alright, alright, sheesh!" Cyclonus complied, barely fitting into the already cramped cargo hold. Jetfire blasted off of the walkway and towards the moon as Scourge burst onto the scene, Despair in hand.  
  
"I have failed you, my liege." Scourge said, bowing his head.  
  
"You have done nothing of the sort, I had foreseen this. If they were to not escape they would have been terminated long ago, now collect Terrorsaur, we begin our ascension to the heavens soon! Unicron declared, his voice ringing outwards.  
  
To Be Continued..  
  
Author's Notes: I've done it! So many ideas, so hard to fit into one chapter. To all my loyal readers, I thank you for putting up with my long absence to this fic, and hope you enjoyed this. Yes, Scorpinok is my first tie in with Energon, and Dirge is the copper Powerlinx Thrust, Hailstorm and Cinder are my own personal Decepticon Redshirts, and Scourge is the Nemesis Prime redeco of Supercon Prime, Despair being Run-over, the repaint of Over-run. The beginning of the end begins, and it'll all start to fall together. Look for it all next chapter, to hopefully be out sooner than this one was!!!  
  
Maelstrom 


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